filigree

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)A delicate and intricate ornamentation made from platinum, gold or silver (or sometimes other metal) twisted wire.

   “To carry pure death in an earring, a casket, / A signet, a fan-mount, a filigree basket!”

   “There were antiquities from Central Italy, made by the best modern houses in that department of industry; […] Genoese velvets and filigree, Neapolitan coral, Roman cameos, Geneva jewellery, Arab lanterns, rosaries blest all round by the Pope himself, and an infinite variety of lumber.”

   “[…] the repose of the pool, the idle motions of the insects and flies upon it, the placid waving of the flags, the leaf-skeletons, like Genoese filigree, placidly sleeping at the bottom, by their contrast with her own turmoil made her impatience greater.”

   “Her brown hair was waved in front and done up behind in a great twist, held by a tortoiseshell comb with gold filigree.”

   “She examined and appraised with much interest the diamond-tipped arrow which had been pinned on May's bosom at the conclusion of the match, remarking that in her day a filigree brooch would have been thought enough, but that there was no denying that Beaufort did things handsomely.”

2. (broadly, countable, uncountable)Anything resembling such intricate ornamentation.

   “But why speak about her? It is probable that we shall not hear of her again from this moment to the end of time, and that when the great filigree iron gates are once closed on her, she and her awful sister will never issue therefrom into this little world of history.”

   “The trees grew so thickly and their foliage spread so widely that I could see nothing of the moon-light save that here and there the high branches made a tangled filigree against the starry sky.”

   “Only the hair as it arched so beautifully from her temples was mixed with silver, and the two simple plaits that lay on her shoulders were filigree of silver and brown.”

   “His music is an unlikely mix, combining an openness and simplicity culled from folk traditions, harmonies that are haunting like Copland and triumphant like Brahms, ornaments and fillagrees that Schoenberg would have appreciated, and a treatment of lyrics that is Burkholder's own unique gift.”

   “Here it was the province of an electronic harpsichordlike timbre (presumably from a laptop) and an electric bass, played assertively by Zach Layton and supported by the drummer, David Justh. Mr. Justh added considerable filigree in the course of the 66-minute performance, none sanctioned by the score, but captivating enough to justify its berth.”

verb

1. (transitive)To decorate something with intricate ornamentation made from gold or silver twisted wire.