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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

valance.

A short curtain that usually hangs along the top edge of a window.

7 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈvæləns/
  1. A short curtain that usually hangs along the top edge of a window.

  2. A decorative framework used to conceal the curtain mechanism and so on at the top of a window.

  3. 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.

  4. A short, decorative edging of cloth that conceals the legs of a couch, sofa, etc.

  5. A low-hanging auto body panel, below a front or rear bumper, whose purpose is aerodynamic and decorative but not structural (often valance panel).

  6. The drooping edging of the lid of a trunk, which covers the joint when the lid is closed.

Where this word comes from

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”).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.