From Latin 'fīlum' (thread) + 'grānum' (grain) — literally 'thread-grain' work in fine gold or silver wire.
Definition
Ornamental work of fine wire, usually gold or silver; intricate and delicate ornamentation.
The Full Story
Latin1690swell-attested
From French 'filigrane' (filigree work, fine wire ornamentation), borrowed from Italian 'filigrana' (fine metalwork, wire-grain decoration), itself a compound of Latin 'fīlum' (thread, wire, line, filament) and 'grānum' (grain, seed, small hard particle). The compound is therefore literally 'thread-grain' — a precise visual description of the craft: fine threads of precious metal arranged in intricate grain-like or seed-like patterns and soldered onto a surface. Latin 'fīlum' likely derives from PIE *gʷʰi-lo- or *gʷʰī- (thread, sinew) and gives
Did you know?
TheLatin 'fīlum' also gives us 'file,' 'filament,' 'profile,' and 'defile.'
it entered English in the 17th century. The spelling evolved through 'filigrane' and 'filigreen' to the now-standard 'filigree.' Key roots: fili (Latin: "From French 'filigrane,' from Italian 'f").