trappings
trappings Lexical Profile
trappings Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The outward signs, features, or objects associated with a particular situation, role, or status.
"Despite his immense fortune, he had little interest in the luxurious trappings of wealth."
Ornamental coverings, harnesses, or caparisons placed on a horse, especially for ceremonial occasions.
"The royal horses marched through the plaza in crimson and gold trappings."
Word Nuance & Usage
Despite looking like a derivative of the verb 'trap' (to catch or ensnare), 'trappings' comes from an unrelated medieval word for ornamental cloth coverings and is used almost exclusively in the plural.
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'trapping', derived from the obsolete verb 'trap' (to adorn a horse with ornamental cloth coverings), from Old French 'drap' (cloth), ultimately from Late Latin 'drappus'.