lace
n. C / Un. a delicate fabric with a pattern of holes, often used for decoration on clothes. It also refers to the string you use to tie your shoes.
n. a fine openwork fabric, typically of cotton or silk, made by looping, twisting, or knitting thread in patterns. Also refers to a cord or string used for drawing together the edges of shoes or garments.
She tied the lace on her left shoe.
The wedding dress was decorated with intricate white lace around the collar and sleeves.
While modern lace is often mass-produced by machines, traditional handmade varieties remain highly valued for their complex geometric patterns and historical significance in high fashion.
From Middle English lace, laace, las, from Old French las, from Vulgar Latin *laceum, based on Latin laqueus. Doublet of lasso.
From Middle English lacen, lasen, from Old French lacer, lacier, lasser, lachier, from the noun (see above).
Uncountable when referring to the fabric material; countable when referring to a specific shoe string (usually plural: 'shoelaces').