[ 'val(ə)ns ]
(also valence )
■ noun a length of decorative drapery attached to the canopy or frame of a bed to screen the structure or space beneath it.
↘a sheet with a gathered border designed to hang down over the mattress and sides of a bed.
↘ chiefly N. Amer. a length of decorative drapery screening the curtain fittings above a window.
Derivatives
~d adjective
Origin
ME: perh. Anglo-Norman Fr., from a shortened form of OFr. avaler (see vail ).