valance
noun/ˈvæləns/
Etymology From Middle English valance, valans, valaunce, valence, valons. Origin uncertain. Probably from Anglo-Norman valaunce, valence, from valer (“go down, let down”), aphetic form of Old French avaler (“to descend, go down”).
A short curtain that usually hangs along the top edge of a window.
- Even the mantelpiece is adorned with a totally unfunctional tasselled valance rather like an altar frontal.1969, David G. Irwin, The Visual Arts, Taste and Criticism, page 27:
A decorative framework used to conceal the curtain mechanism and so on at the top of a window.
A short, decorative edging of cloth that hangs from a bed, from beneath the mattress to the floor, used to conceal the box spring or space under the bed and prevent dust from accumulating there.
A short, decorative edging of cloth that conceals the legs of a couch, sofa, etc.
- Mortally insulted, Jasper went under the couch, where he remained with only his nose showing beneath the valance, emitting little world-weary groans at intervals, and refusing to come out for cake.1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 145:
Automotive, Transport, Vehicles A low-hanging auto body panel, below a front or rear bumper, whose purpose is aerodynamic and decorative but not structural (often valance panel).
The drooping edging of the lid of a trunk, which covers the joint when the lid is closed.
- Synonyms
- dust ruffle, bedskirt, bed ruffle
- Derived terms
- valanced