passe-partout Hear it!

passe-partout definition

passe·-partout (päs′pär to̵̅o̅′, pas′-)

noun

  1. that which passes or allows passage everywhere
  2. a passkey or master key
  3. a mat used in mounting pictures
  4. a picture mounting in which glass, picture, backing, and often a mat are bound together, as by strips of gummed paper along the edges
  5. the gummed paper used for such a mounting

Etymology: Fr, lit., passes everywhere

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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