from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
passe-partout \passe`-par`tout"\, Passe partout \Passe"
par`tout"\(p[aum]s` p[aum]r`t[=oo]"), n. [F., from passer to
pass + partout everywhere.]
1. That by which one can pass anywhere; a safe-conduct.
[Obs.] --Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
2. A master key; a latchkey. [WordNet sense 1]
[1913 Webster]
3. A light picture frame or mat of cardboard, wood, or the
like, usually put between the picture and the glass, and
sometimes serving for several pictures.
[1913 Webster]
4. A strip of adhesive paper or gummed tape used to mount a
picture between a piece of glass and a backing. [WordNet
sense 2]
[WordNet 1.5]
5. The method of mounting a picture between a piece of glass
and a backing, using a passe-partout[4].
[PJC]