1. A short horizontal bar suspended from two parallel ropes, used for gymnastic exercises or for acrobatic stunts.
2. An article of women's clothing, such as a jacket, dress, or coat, that is cut so as to hang down from the shoulders and swing out and away around the hips and legs.

[French trapèze, from Late Latin trapezium, trapezoid. See trapezium.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.