What is "pillow lace"

Pillow lace \Pil"low lace\ Lace made by hand with bobbins on a pillow.

Pillow \Pil"low\, n. [OE. pilwe, AS. pyle, fr. L. pilvinus.]

1. Anything used to support the head of a person when reposing; especially, a sack or case filled with feathers, down, hair, or other soft material.

   [Resty sloth] finds the down pillow hard.
   --Shak.

2. (Mach.) A piece of metal or wood, forming a support to equalize pressure; a brass; a pillow block. [R.]

3. (Naut.) A block under the inner end of a bowsprit.

4. A kind of plain, coarse fustian.

   Lace pillow, a cushion used in making hand-wrought lace.

   Pillow bier [OE. pilwebere; cf. LG. b["u]re a pillowcase], a pillowcase; pillow slip. [Obs.]
   --Chaucer.

   Pillow block (Mach.), a block, or standard, for supporting a journal, as of a shaft. It is usually bolted to the frame or foundation of a machine, and is often furnished with journal boxes, and a movable cover, or cap, for tightening the bearings by means of bolts; -- called also pillar block, or plumber block.

   Pillow lace, handmade lace wrought with bobbins upon a lace pillow.

   Pillow of a plow, a crosspiece of wood which serves to raise or lower the beam.

   Pillow sham, an ornamental covering laid over a pillow when not in use.

   Pillow slip, a pillowcase.

Lace \Lace\ (l[=a]s), n. [OE. las, OF. laz, F. lacs, dim. lacet, fr. L. laqueus noose, snare; prob. akin to lacere to entice. Cf. Delight, Elicit, Lasso, Latchet.]

1. That which binds or holds, especially by being interwoven; a string, cord, or band, usually one passing through eyelet or other holes, and used in drawing and holding together parts of a garment, of a shoe, of a machine belt, etc.

   His hat hung at his back down by a lace.
   --Chaucer.

   For striving more, the more in laces strong Himself he tied.
   --Spenser.

2. A snare or gin, especially one made of interwoven cords; a net. [Obs.]
   --Fairfax.

   Vulcanus had caught thee [Venus] in his lace.
   --Chaucer.

3. A fabric of fine threads of linen, silk, cotton, etc., often ornamented with figures; a delicate tissue of thread, much worn as an ornament of dress.

   Our English dames are much given to the wearing of costly laces.
   --Bacon.

4. Spirits added to coffee or some other beverage. [Old Slang]
   --Addison.

   Alen[,c]on lace, a kind of point lace, entirely of needlework, first made at Alen[,c]on in France, in the 17th century. It is very durable and of great beauty and cost.

   Bone lace, Brussels lace, etc. See under Bone, Brussels, etc.

   Gold lace, or Silver lace, lace having warp threads of silk, or silk and cotton, and a weft of silk threads covered with gold (or silver), or with gilt.

   Lace leather, thin, oil-tanned leather suitable for cutting into lacings for machine belts.

   Lace lizard (Zo["o]l.), a large, aquatic, Australian lizard ( Hydrosaurus giganteus), allied to the monitors.

   Lace paper, paper with an openwork design in imitation of lace.

   Lace piece (Shipbuilding), the main piece of timber which supports the beak or head projecting beyond the stem of a ship.

   Lace pillow, and Pillow lace. See under Pillow.

n. Hand-made lace wrought with bobbins upon a lace pillow.

n. lace made by winding thread around bobbins on a padded cushion [syn: bobbin lace]