Lace is a delicate fabric with decorative patterns of holes and threads woven together. You've probably seen lace on fancy tablecloths, curtains, or clothing: those intricate designs that look almost like spiderwebs made of thread.

For centuries, people made lace entirely by hand using needles or small spools, weaving threads into complex patterns. A single piece might take weeks or months to create, making lace extremely valuable. Royal families and wealthy people wore lace collars and cuffs to show their status. Today, machines can produce lace much faster, but handmade lace is still prized for its beauty and craftsmanship.

The word also means to fasten or tighten something using a cord or string threaded through holes. When you lace your shoes, you're threading the shoelaces through the eyelets and pulling them tight. You might lace up ice skates or lace the strings on a baseball glove. Football players talk about lacing up their cleats before a game.

Sometimes people use lace to mean adding something throughout something else, like lacing a conversation with jokes. The image is of weaving one thing through another, like threading a shoelace.