▪ I. passement, n. Obs. exc. Hist.
(ˈpæsmənt)
Forms: α. 6 pasmond, pastment, 6–8 pasment, 7–9 pass-, 8 pace-, pesment, 6– passa-, passement. β. 6 passemain, -mayne, -min, passamen, -maine, pasmain.
[a. F. passement (in this sense in 16th c.), pl. -mens, f. passer to pass: see -ment. The forms in -main, etc., appear to correspond to It. and Sp. passamano, app. f. passare to pass + mano hand: the reason of this name, and the relations between this and the Fr. form in -ment are not clear.]
Gold or silver lace, gimp or braid of silk or other material, for decorative trimming; = lace n. 5.
| α 1539 Inv. R. Wardr. (1815) 31 Ane uthir gowne of purpour satyne with ane braid pasment of gold & silvir. 1542 Ibid. 70 Item ane hat of velvott with ane pasmond of silver. 1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie iii. i. (Arb.) 150 As the embroderer [setteth]..passements of gold vpon the stuffe of a Princely garment. 1619 in Ritchie Ch. St. Baldred 115 He had broun claiths and black passaments on him. 1756 M. Calderwood Jrnl. (1884) 66 The finest liveries quite covered over with pacements. 1869 F. B. Palliser Lace iii. 21 Many of the earlier laces were made by the threads being passed or interlaced one with the other; scarcely more than a white braid; hence they derived the name of passament. 1902 M. Jourdain & Alice Dryden Mrs. Palliser's Hist. Lace 26 The earlier laces, such as they were, were defined by the word ‘passament’—a general term for gimps and braids as well as for lace. Modern industry has separated these two classes of work, but their being formerly so confounded renders it difficult in historic researches to separate one from the other. |
| β 1565–6 Roy. Procl. as to Apparel 12 Feb., Any fringe, lace, or passemayne, of gold, syluer, or silke. |
| fig. 1637 Rutherford Lett. (1671) i. xlvi. 104 These broad passements and buskings of religion. Ibid. clxvi. 326 This love would be fair and adorning passements. |
† b. attrib., as
passement lace,
passement silk.
Obs.| α 1546 Aberdeen Regr. (1844) I. 239 Half ane pund of black pastment silk. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. ii. xxv. 66 Gownes of veluet..set with passament lace and buttons of golde or siluer. 1613 T. Milles tr. Mexia's, etc. Treas. Anc. & Mod. T. 960/1 Lacing their Cloakes, Doublets, and Hose, with passement laces of fine Gold. |
| β 1548 W. Patten Exped. Scot. C viij b, Hemmed round about very sutably with pasmain lace of grene caddis. 1549 Egerton Papers (Camden) 11 That no man under the degree of an Erle, weare any cloth of gold, silver, tissue, or purple silke, any embroderye, passamen lace [etc.]. 1583 Rates of Customs D vj, Passemin lace of Cruell the dosen xiijs. iiijd. 1600 in Nichols Progresses (1823) III. 509 Item, one cloake of blacke taphata..with passamaine lace of Venice golde and silver. |
▪ II. passement, v. (
ˈpæsmənt)
[f. passement n., perh. after F. passementer (Rabelais, 16th c.).] trans. To adorn with passement or lace; to edge (a garment) with decorative braiding or trimming.
| 1539 Inv. R. Wardr. (1815) 32 Item ane gowne of quhite velvot all droppit oure with gold wyre pasmentit with the samyne. 1629 Z. Boyd Last Battell 620 Ashamed to be seene among these who are pasmented with gold. 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. xxiv, The doomster..arrayed in a fantastic garment of black and grey, passmented with silver lace. 1828 ― F.M. Perth iv, The Flemish hose and doublet..were..passamented (laced, that is) with embroidery of black silk. a 1894 Stevenson St. Ives xxviii. (1898) 212, I mind I had a green gown, passementit. |
| fig. 1640 Rutherford Lett. (1671) ii. xxix. 490 Your cross is..pasmented over with the faith and comforts of the Lords faithful Covenant with Scotland. |