draps

Draps is a French noun that refers to bed linens, especially the sheets and pillowcases used on a bed. In French-speaking regions such as France, Belgium, Switzerland, and parts of Canada, the term commonly designates the fabric and the set of items used to cover and protect a bed, including sheets, pillowcases, and sometimes the entire bed-linen ensemble.

In everyday usage, draps can be used with modifiers to specify the type or state of the items. For example, “draps de lit” denotes bed linens in general, while phrases like “draps propres” and “changer les draps” refer to clean sheets and the act of changing them, respectively. The singular form drap refers to a piece of fabric or cloth, while draps is used for the plural set of bed linens.

Etymology and scope: the word derives from Old French drap, meaning cloth or fabric. Over time, its primary contemporary sense in Francophone contexts became bed linens rather than fabric in general, though it can still refer to textiles more broadly in historical or regional usage.

See also: bed linen, drapery, textile. In non-Francophone contexts, the term draps is uncommon in standard English and appears mainly in translations or as a regional loanword.