Cotton and Textile Terminology

Compiled by Patrick Leech, these are terms with dates of first and last occurrence and definiion in the Oxford English Dictionary

TermFirst occurrenceLast occurrence*Definition**
a la mode16761861A thin, light, glossy black silk.
abaca1818 The native name of the palm (Musa textilis) which furnishes what is commonly known as Manilla Hemp; occasionally applied in commerce to the fibre, whence ‘the most exquisite textile fabrics, and the elegant Manilla hats are manufactured.’
alapeen17391757A mixed stuff either of wool and silk or mohair and cotton.
alexander15001882Alexandrine or Alexandrian work; a species of striped silk.
alpaca1838 The fabric made of alpaca wool.
angola1827 A corruption of angora; often used of the fabric made of angora wool.
angora1867 The fabric manufactured from the wool of the angora goat, at one time commonly called angola.
antherine17101739A kind of poplin, now obsolete.
armozeen1599 A stout plain silk, usually black, used for clerical gowns and for mourning scarves.
asbestos cloth1857 A cloth woven from asbestos fibres.
baize1578 A coarse woollen stuff, having a long nap, now used chiefly for linings, coverings, curtains, etc., in warmer countries for articles of clothing, e.g. shirts, petticoats, ponchos; it was formerly, when made of finer and lighter texture, used as a clothing material in Britain also.
bandanna1752 A richly coloured silk handkerchief, with spots left white or yellow by the process described above (see following quotation: ‘plain taffaties, ordinary bandannoes, and chappas’).
barathea1862 A cloth of a fine texture composed of a silk warp and woollen weft, also of cotton and wool and entirely of wool.
barége1828 A light, silky dress-fabric, resembling gauze, originally made at Baréges.
barragan1677 ‘A genteel corded stuff, much in vogue at that time for summer wear.’
barras16401714‘A coarse linen fabric originally imported from Holland.’
barrateen16891761Some kind of woven fabric.
bath-coating1791 A material formerly fashionable for male attire.
batiste1697 The French word for cambric; applied, in commerce, to a fine light fabric of the same texture, but differently finished, and made of cotton as well as of linen.
baudekin13001861A rich embroidered stuff, originally made with warp of gold thread and woof of silk; later, with wider application, rich brocade, rich shot silk. Sometimes, more fully, cloth of baud(e)kin.
beaupers15921720A fabric, apparently linen; used for flags.
bedford1862 Bedford cord, a woven fabric with prominent cords running in the direction of the warp.
bengaline1884 A new (French) name for poplin, a mixed fabric of silk and worsted.
bengal1680 Applied to piece goods (apparently of different kinds) exported from Bengal to England in the 17th century: cf. bengal stripes: striped ginghams, originally brought from Bengal, afterwards manufactured at Paisley.
bergamot1882 A woven fabric or tapestry composed of a mixture of flock and hair, said to have been first produced at Bergamo in Italy.
beteela15981727A kind of muslin formerly imported from the East Indies.
black1400 Black fabric or material.
blanket13001866A white or undyed woollen stuff used for clothing.
bombasine1572 A twilled or corded dress-material, composed of silk and worsted; sometimes also of cotton and worsted, or of worsted alone. In black the material is much used in mourning.
borato15781720A thin fabric.
bouclé1895 A yarn of looped or curled ply; fabric made from this.
boulter1612 A piece of cloth used for sifting; a sieve, strainer; a bolting-machine. The fabric used for this purpose.
box cloth1890 A thick coarse cloth material, usually of a buff colour, from which riding garments are made; also applied to the colour.
braid1706 A woven fabric of silken, woollen, cotton, gold or silver thread in the form of a band, used for trimming or binding articles of dress.
bridgewater15521607A woollen cloth named after the place of its original manufacture.
broadcloth1420 Fine, plain-wove, dressed, double width, black cloth, used chiefly for men’s garments. (The term is now used to imply quality rather than width, which may vary considerably.)
brocade1563 A textile fabric woven with a pattern of raised figures, originally in gold or silver; in later use, any kind of stuff richly wrought or ‘flowered’ with a raised pattern; also a cloth of gold and silver of Indian manufacture.
broché1877 Of a material, especially silk: woven with a pattern on the surface. Also a material of such a texture.
bruges15171752Name of a city of Flanders, used attributively in Bruges satin, and sometimes elliptically.
brunswick14801480The name of an obsolete textile fabric.
buckram1222 a. A kind of fine linen or cotton fabric. b. A kind of coarse linen or cloth stiffened with gum or paste.
buckskin1894 A kind of strong twill cloth.
buffin15721632’A coarse cloth in use for the gowns of the middle classes in the time of Elizabeth.’
burel13001720A coarse woollen cloth (probably originally of brown colour: cf. baize); frieze.
burlap1695 Originally perhaps a sort of holland; now a coarse canvas made of jute or hemp, used for bagging; also, a finer material used for curtains.
burnet12841753A wool-dyed cloth of superior quality, originally of dark brown colour.
bustian14631725A cotton fabric of foreign manufacture, used for waistcoats and for certain church vestments; sometimes described as a species of fustian, but sometimes mentioned as distinct from it.
byss13141648Fine linen. The word was to English writers often a mere name to which they attached no certain meaning, except that of fineness and value; in the versions of the Bible it is variously rendered; the version of 1611 has ‘fine linen’.
caddis15361887A kind of stuff; perhaps of worsted (or ? silk).
caffa15311810a. A rich silk cloth, apparently similar to damask, much used in the 16th century. b. A kind of painted cotton cloth made in India, and occurring in commerce in the 18th century.
calamanco1592 A woollen stuff of Flanders, glossy on the surface, and woven with a satin twill and chequered in the warp, so that the checks are seen on one side only; much used in the 18th century.
calico1578 A general name for cotton cloth of all kinds imported from the East; ‘an Indian stuff made of cotton, sometimes stained with gay and beautiful colours’; subsequently, also, various cotton fabrics of European manufacture (sometimes also with linen warp). Now, in England, applied chiefly to plain white unprinted cotton cloth, bleached or unbleached (called in Scotland and U.S. cotton).
camaca13751485A kind of fine fabric, probably of silk.
cambric1530 A kind of fine white linen, originally made at Cambray in Flanders. (Also applied to an imitation made of hard-spun cotton yarn.)
cameline1400 A kind of stuff made (or supposed to be made) of camel’s hair: cf. camlet.
camlet1400 A name originally applied to some beautiful and costly eastern fabric, afterwards to imitations and substitutes the nature of which has changed many times over. ‘A kind of stuff originally made by a mixture of silk and camel’s hair; it is now made with wool and silk.’ ‘A light stuff, formerly much used for female apparel, made of long wool, hard spun, sometimes mixed in the loom with cotton or linen yarn.’ It is uncertain whether it was ever made of camel’s hair; but in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was made of the hair of the Angora goat.
canton1860 The name of the city in southern China used attributively to denote various manufactured articles, such as Canton crape.
canvas1260 A strong or coarse unbleached cloth made of hemp or flax, used (in different forms) as the material for sails of ships, for tents, and by painters for oil-paintings, formerly also for clothing, etc.
carde14261426Some fabric anciently used for canopies, curtains, and linings.
carmelite1828 A fine woollen stuff, generally of a grey or other obscure colour, perhaps = French carmeline ‘wool of the vicugna’ (a species of llama).
carpmeal16101799“A coarse kind of Cloth made in the North of England.”
carrel15701720A fabric mentioned in the 16th and 17th centuries.
cashmere1822 The material of which cashmere shawls are made. Also applied to a woollen fabric made in France and England in imitation of the true cashmere.
cashmerette1886 A fabric made in imitation of cashmere, with a soft and glossy surface, for ladies’ dresses.
cassimer1704 A thin fine twilled woollen cloth used for men’s clothes.
catgut17311823‘A coarse cloth formed of thick cord, woven widely and used in the last century for lining and stiffening dress, particularly the skirts and sleeves of a coat.’
caury-maury12871529? A kind of coarse, rough material.
cerecloth1553 Cloth smeared or impregnated with wax or some glutinous matter.
chaisel12051320A fine linen (sometimes identified with byss or byssus).
challis1849 A fine silk and worsted fabric, very pliable and without gloss, used for ladies’ dresses, ‘introduced at Norwich about 1832, where it speedily became fashionable.’
charmeuse1907 A soft smooth silk fabric, having a satin-like surface.
checkarsey15521552A fabric; possibly check kersey.
chenille1738 A kind of velvety cord, having short threads or fibres of silk and wool standing out at right angles from a core of thread or wire, like the hairs of a caterpillar; used in trimming and bordering dresses and furniture.
cheviot1883 A cloth made from Cheviot wool.
cheyney16681757A sort of worsted or woollen stuff.
chiffon1890 A diaphanous plain-woven fabric of fine hard-twisted yarn (originally silk, later nylon, etc.); also attributively, sometimes with sense ‘light in weight’.
chintz1614 Originally a name for the painted or stained calicoes imported from India; now, a name for cotton cloths fast-printed with designs of flowers, etc., in a number of colours, generally not less than five, and usually glazed.
ciclatoun12251400A precious material much esteemed in the Middle Ages.
cloth-of-gold1386 A tissue consisting of threads, wires or strips of gold, generally interwoven with silk or wool; also applied to gilded cloth.
coburg1844 A thin fabric of worsted and cotton or worsted and silk, twilled on one side; an imitation of merino, for ladies’ dresses.
cobweb lawn16031691A very fine transparent lawn.
cogware13891483A coarse kind of cloth, apparently resembling frieze, made of the most inferior wool.
corduroy1774 A kind of coarse, thick-ribbed cotton stuff, worn chiefly by labourers or persons engaged in rough work.
cottonade1858 A name for various cotton fabrics, especially of coarse or inferior quality; cotton check.
covert1895 Covert cloth = covert coating; covert coat, a short light overcoat worn while shooting, riding, etc., and as a dust-coat; hence covert coating, material, usually waterproof, for such coats.
crape1633 a. A thin transparent gauze-like fabric, plain woven, without any twill, of highly twisted raw silk or other staple, and mechanically embossed, so as to have a crisped or minutely wrinkled surface. The name originally comprised fine worsted fabrics (see b.); but it is now chiefly limited to a black silk (or imitation silk) fabric much used for ladies’ mourning dresses, and for funereal trimming and draping. b. In the 18th century, ‘a sort of thin worsted stuff, of which the dress of the clergy is sometimes made’.
crepe1797 The French word for crape (used in that language in the early wider sense, and including crêpe anglais, which is called crape in English), often borrowed as a term for all crapy fabrics other than ordinary black mourning crape.
crepe de chine1872 A white or other coloured crape made of raw silk.
crepe lisse1825 Smooth or glossy crape, which is not crêpé or wrinkled.
crepelline1873 A light thin material of silk, or silk and wool, used for women’s dresses.
crepon1887 A stuff resembling crape, but of firmer substance, made of fine worsted, silk, or a combination of the two.
crinoline1830 A stiff fabric made of horse-hair and cotton or linen thread, formerly used for skirts and still for lining, etc. (For the latter purpose the name is also applied to imitations made of stiffened muslin, etc.).
crisp13971619Some thin or delicate textile fabric, used especially by women for veils or head-coverings; ? a crape-like material.
crystal1882 ‘A very fine wide Durant [a glazed woollen stuff], once an article of export for use in making nuns’ veils. Invariably made white.’
culgee16881714A rich figured silk worn as a turban or sash, or otherwise, on a festive occasion; hence, a figured Indian silk formerly imported into England.
cypress13981722A name of several textile fabrics originally imported from or through Cyprus: a. A cloth of gold or other valuable material. b. A valuable quality of satin, called more fully satin of Cypres, satin Cypres. c. A light transparent material resembling cobweb lawn or crape; like the latter it was, when black, much used for habiliments of mourning.
damask1430 a. A rich silk fabric woven with elaborate designs and figures, often of a variety of colours. Also applied to figured materials of silk and wool, silk and cotton, or worsted or cotton only, used for furniture-covering, curtains, etc. ‘True damasks are wholly of silk, but the term is now applied to any fabric of wool, linen, or cotton, woven in the manner of the first damasks.’ b. A twilled linen fabric richly figured in the weaving with designs which show up by opposite reflexions of light from the surface; used chiefly for table-linen.
damassin1839 ‘A species of woven damask with gold and silver flowers.’
delaine1840 Originally called in full mousseline, or muslin-de-laine: a kind of light textile fabric, chiefly used for women’s dresses; originally made of wool, now more commonly of wool and cotton, and generally printed.
demi-ostade15371882A stuff, apparently half-worsted half-linen, linsey-woolsey.
denim1695 A name originally given to a kind of serge; now (originally U.S.) to a coloured twilled cotton material used largely for overalls, hangings, etc..
diagonal1861 a. A soft material used for embroidery; b. a black coating for men’s wear.
diaper1350 The name of a textile fabric; now, and since the 15th century, applied to a linen fabric (or an inferior fabric of ‘union’ or cotton) woven with a small and simple pattern, formed by the different directions of the thread, with the different reflexions of light from its surface, and consisting of lines crossing diamond-wise, with the spaces variously filled up by parallel lines, a central leaf or dot, etc. In earlier times, the name was applied to a richer and more costly fabric, apparently of silk, woven or flowered over the surface with gold thread.
dimity1440 A stout cotton fabric, woven with raised stripes or fancy figures; usually employed undyed for beds and bedroom hangings, and sometimes for garments.
doeskin1851 A highly-finished closely-cut thick black cloth, twilled, but dressed so as to show very little of the twill.
doily16781714The name of a woollen stuff, ‘at once cheap and genteel’, introduced for summer wear in the latter part of the 17th century.
donegal1903 The name of a county in the north-west of Ireland; used attributively or elliptically to designate something produced in or peculiar to the county, especially a type of tweed or a kind of coarse, knotted carpet.
dorea1696 A kind of striped Indian muslin.
dornick1489 A silk, worsted, woollen, or partly woollen fabric, used for hangings, carpets, vestments, etc.
dowlas1493 a. A coarse kind of linen, much used in the 16th and 17th centuries. b. Now applied to a strong calico made in imitation of this.
drab1541 A kind of cloth.
drabbet1819 A drab twilled linen, used for making men’s smock-frocks, etc.
dreadnought1806 A thick coat or outer garment worn in very inclement weather; also, the stout woollen cloth with a thick long pile of which such garments are made.
drill1743 Abbreviated form of drilling: a coarse twilled linen or cotton fabric used for summer clothing, etc.
drilling1640 A coarse twilled linen or cotton fabric used for summer clothing, etc.
drugget1580 a. Formerly, a kind of stuff, all of wool, or mixed of wool and silk or wool and linen, used for wearing apparel. b. Now, a coarse woollen stuff used for floor-coverings, table-cloths, etc.
ducape1678 ‘A plain-wove stout silk fabric of softer texture than Gros de Naples. Its manufacture was introduced by the French refugees of 1685.’
duchesse1878 Duchesse satin, satin duchesse, a very soft, heavy kind of satin.
duck1640 A strong untwilled linen (or later, cotton) fabric, lighter and finer than canvas; used for small sails and men’s (especially sailors’) outer clothing.
duffle1677 A coarse woollen cloth having a thick nap or frieze.
dungaree1613 A kind of coarse inferior Indian calico.
dunster16011887A woollen cloth, so called from a small town in West Somersetshire.
durance15831709A stout durable cloth.
durant1766 A woollen stuff called by some everlasting; a variety of tammy.
duroy1619 A kind of coarse woollen fabric formerly manufactured in the west of England; akin to the stuffs called tammies. (Not the same as corduroy.)
eider-down1872 A heavily napped wool or cotton or man-made fabric of thick texture, in plain and fancy colours, used for petticoats, cloaks, bath-robes, etc.
elatcha16131813A silk fabric from Turkestan: ‘a silk cloth 5 yards long, which has a sort of wavy line pattern running in the length on one side.’
estamin1701 An open woollen fabric, used for making sieves, etc.. In 18th century. also applied to some silk fabric, presumably of similar texture. Also spelt estamene, as the name of a woollen cloth for dresses.
etamine1714 ‘Etamine, a sort of embroidered canvas, likely to be worn at spas.’
everlasting1590 a. A material used in 16-17th centuries for the dress of sergeants and catchpoles, apparently identical with durance. b. In later times, a strong twilled woollen stuff, called also lasting.
faille1869 A light kind of ribbed silk fabric. Faille française has a larger rib than faille proper, being thus intermediate between this and ‘ottoman’. More recently the term wool faille has been applied to a kind of ‘terry’.
falding13861523A kind of coarse woollen cloth; frieze.
farandine16631673A kind of cloth used in the seventeenth century, made partly of silk and partly of wool or hair.
fearnought1772 A stout kind of woollen cloth, used chiefly on board ship in the form of outside clothing in the most inclement weather, also as a protective covering or lining for the outside door of a powder magazine, the portholes, etc..
felt1000 A kind of cloth or stuff made of wool, or of wool and fur or hair, fulled or wrought into a compact substance by rolling and pressure, with lees or size. Also a piece of woven cloth with a felted nap used in paper-making.
ferret1649 A stout tape most commonly made of cotton, but also of silk; then known as Italian ferret.
figuretto16621775‘A kind of stuff so called from the flowers or other figures which are wrought upon it.’
filoselle1612 A kind of stuff (? a mixture of silk and wool).
flannel1503 An open woollen stuff, of various degrees of fineness, usually without a nap.
florameda16401640‘Probably a flowered or figured stuff.’
florence1483 The name given to certain woven fabrics: a. of wool; b. of silk.
florentine1545 A textile fabric of silk or wool, used for wearing apparel.
foulard1864 A thin flexible material of silk, or of silk mixed with cotton.
frieze1418 A kind of coarse woollen cloth, with a nap, usually on one side only; now especially of Irish manufacture. Also frieze-cloth.
frizado15421719A fine kind of frieze.
fustian1200 Formerly, a kind of coarse cloth made of cotton and flax. Now, a thick, twilled, cotton cloth with a short pile or nap, usually dyed of an olive, leaden, or other dark colour.
fustian anapes14631627Apparently. a kind of cotton velvet.
gaberdine1904 A variety of twill-woven cloth, usually of fine worsted.
galatea1882 A cotton material striped in blue on a white ground. It is made for women’s dresses, and washes well.
gambroon1831 ‘A kind of twilled cloth for linings.’
garlits16961812‘A kind of linen cloth imported from Germany.’
gauze1561 A very thin, transparent fabric of silk, linen, or cotton.
genoa1766 The name of a city of Italy. Used in names of articles connected with Genoa, as Genoa velvet.
georgette1915 A thin, semi-transparent, plain-woven crepe made from fine, hard-twisted silk or other yarns. Also georgette crepe.
gimp1664 Silk, worsted, or cotton twist with a cord or wire running through it. Now chiefly applied to a kind of trimming made of this, sometimes covered with beads or spangles.
gingham1615 A kind of cotton or linen cloth, woven of dyed yarn, often in stripes, checks, and other patterns. In plural, fabrics of this kind.
glacé1847 Of cloth, leather, etc.: having a smooth surface with a high polish or lustre. Also = glacé silk and = glacé leather.
grazet1696 A kind of woollen stuff.
grenadine1852 An open silk or silk and wool textile used for dresses.
grogram1562 A coarse fabric of silk, of mohair and wool, or of these mixed with silk; often stiffened with gum.
gros de Naples1799 A heavy silk fabric, made originally at Naples.
gulix1696 A kind of fine linen.
gunny1711 A coarse material used chiefly for sacking and made from the fibres of jute or (in some parts) from sunn-hemp; a sack of this material.
haberjet15021865A kind of cloth named in Magna Carta, and in some ancient documents.
harden1430 A coarse fabric made from the hards of flax or hemp.
harrateen17111825A kind of linen fabric formerly used for curtains, bed-furniture, and the like.
harris1892 The name of the southern section of the island of Lewis with Harris in the Outer Hebrides, used (chiefly attributively) to designate the hand-woven tweed produced by the inhabitants of this region. Also elliptically (Harris is a proprietary term in relation to tweed manufactured in the island of Lewis with Harris).
hemp roll16961696‘A strong coarse Linnen and when whited very good for Sheets for Poor People.’
henrietta1851 Designating a light-weight dress fabric, sometimes with a silk warp.
hessian1881 A strong coarse cloth, made of a mixture of hemp and jute, employed for the packing of bales.
holland1427 A linen fabric, originally called, from the province of Holland in the Netherlands.
homespun1607 Cloth made of yarn spun at home; also, a coarse and loosely-woven material made in imitation of home-made cloth.
hopsack1892 a. The material of which hop-sacks are made, a coarse fabric composed of hemp and jute. b. Applied to a woollen dress-fabric made with a roughened surface.
hopsacking1884 a. The material of which hop-sacks are made, a coarse fabric composed of hemp and jute. b. Applied to a woollen dress-fabric made with a roughened surface.
huckaback1696 A stout linen fabric, with the weft threads thrown alternately up so as to form a rough surface, used for towelling and the like.
imperial14761876Short for cloth imperial: a textile fabric in use in the Middle Ages, with figures woven in gold; apparently so called as being made at Constantinople.
inderkins16961696‘A coarse narrow Cloth which comes from Hamborough – it is made of the worst of Hemp.’
inkle1545 A kind of linen tape, formerly much used for various purposes.
italian cloth1867 A kind of linen jean with satin face, largely employed for linings (in French, satin de Chine; Italian, zanella).
janus cloth1877 Materials with a double facing, or things having a two-way action.
jap silk1895 Colloquial abbreviation of Japanese. Also as adjective, specifically Jap silk = Habutai.
jean1567 A twilled cotton cloth; a kind of fustian. Originally jene (ge(a)ne, geanes) fustian, shortened to jeanes, jean, etc. The form jeans is used in U.S..
jersey1583 The name of the largest of the Channel Islands: used attributively and elliptically, especially in reference to the knitting of stockings and other worsted articles, which was long a staple industry of Jersey; attributively of Jersey; of Jersey worsted. Hence also used of fine machine-knitted fabric generally.
kendal13891687A species of green woollen cloth.
kenting16571793A kind of fine linen cloth.
kersey1390 A kind of coarse narrow cloth, woven from long wool and usually ribbed.
kerseymere1798 A twilled fine woollen cloth of a peculiar texture, one-third of the warp being always above, and two-thirds below each shoot of the weft.
kincob1712 A rich Indian stuff, embroidered with gold or silver; also a piece or variety of this.
lake13861603Fine linen.
lamé1922 A material consisting of silk or other yarns interwoven with metallic threads.
lasting1782 A durable kind of cloth; = everlasting.
lawn1415 a. A kind of fine linen, resembling cambric; pieces or sorts of this linen. b. specifically, this fabric used for the sleeves of a bishop. Hence, the dignity or office of a bishop.
leno1821 A kind of cotton gauze, used for caps, veils, curtains, etc. Also attributively. Hence, the type of weave used for this fabric.
levantine1831 ‘A very rich-faced stout twilled black silk material, exceedingly soft, and of excellent wear.’
linsey-woolsey1483 Originally a textile material, woven from a mixture of wool and flax; now, a dress material of coarse inferior wool, woven upon a cotton warp.
lisse1852 A kind of silk gauze.
lockram14831820A linen fabric of various qualities for wearing apparel and household use.
long cloth1545 A kind of cotton cloth or calico manufactured in long pieces; especially cloth of this kind made in India.
lukes14721547Made at Liège; said especially of velvet.
lungi1634 A loin cloth. Also, the material of which this is made.
lustring16971886A glossy silk fabric.
lyre14211490The name of a town in Brabant, now Lire or Liere, occurring in the designations of certain kinds of cloth, as black of lyre (black a-lyre, black of lure), green of lyre (grene alyr, grene lyre).
manchester1777 Some kind of cotton fabric.
mantua17091787A material; ? = mantua silk.
marble15201720A mottled or dappled colour resembling that of variegated marble; hence, a cloth of such a colour.
marcella1812 A kind of twilled cotton or linen cloth used for waistcoats, etc.
marocain1922 A dress fabric of ribbed crêpe. Also, a garment made from marocain.
marry-muffe16041640Some kind of cheap textile fabric; a garment made of this.
marseilles1762 A stiff cotton fabric, similar to piqué.
medley1438 A cloth woven with wools of different colours or shades; = medley-cloth.
melton1823 The name of a town in Leicestershire (more fully Melton Mowbray), a famous hunting centre. Used attributively in Melton Jacket, also in Melton cloth (see quot. 1882) and elliptically as noun.
merino1818 A soft woollen material resembling, but finer than, French cashmere, originally manufactured of merino wool, and later of a fine wool mixed with cotton.
merv1887 A silk material for ladies’ dresses and dress-trimmings.
messellawny16121640Some textile fabric.
minikin16041721Used to designate some kind of baize.
mockado15431660A kind of cloth much used for clothing in the 16th and 17th centuries. Also attributively, as mockado cassock, doublet, etc.; mockado ends, fringe (mentioned as a commodity sold by weight); tuft mockado, a peculiar kind of mockado decorated with small tufts of wool.
mohair1570 Properly, a kind of fine camlet made from the hair of the Angora goat, sometimes watered. Also, yarn made from this hair. In modern use often applied to a fabric in imitation of the true mohair, in the 18th century wholly of silk, but now usually of a mixture of wool and cotton.
moire1660 Originally a kind of watered mohair; afterwards, any textile fabric (but usually silk) to which a watered appearance is given in the process of calendering; a watered or clouded silk. Moire antique, explained by French lexicographers to mean a watered silk of large pattern, is in English use practically synonymous with moire, which is apprehended as a shortened form.
moory1696 A kind of Indian cloth.
moreen1691 A stout woollen or woollen and cotton material either plain or watered, used for curtains, etc.
morella16701702A kind of material used for dresses, curtains, etc. Also morella mohair.
moss crepe1955 A dress fabric which relies for its characteristic effect on a special yarn called a moss crêpe yarn.
motley13861617A cloth of a mixed colour; a mixture.
mousseline1696 French muslin; also, a dress of this material; a dress-material originally composed wholly of wool, but afterwards of wool and cotton, printed with varied patterns.
mumull1676 A thin variety of muslin.
mungo1857 A fabric made from the short fibres recovered from old hardwoven or felted material.
muslin1609 The general name for the most delicately woven cotton fabrics, including many varieties, used for ladies’ dresses, curtains, hangings, etc..
musterdevillers14001564A kind of mixed grey woollen cloth, much used in the 14th and 15th centuries.
nainsook1804 A cotton fabric, a kind of muslin or jaconet, of Indian origin; a garment made of this.
nankeen1755 A kind of cotton cloth, originally made at Nanking from a yellow variety of cotton, but now extensively manufactured from ordinary cotton and dyed yellow.
napkining16401812Material for napkins.
naps1771 A cloth having a nap on it.
nettle cloth1539 a. Cloth made of nettle-fibres. b. Cotton cloth, calico.
nilla16961757A kind of Indian piece-goods.
ninon1911 A light-weight fabric, used especially in dresses, made in a plain weave from silk, rayon, or nylon.
norwich crape1821 A textile fabric manufactured, or as manufactured, in Norwich.
norwich poplin1860 A textile fabric manufactured, or as manufactured, in Norwich.
norwich stuff1618 A textile fabric manufactured, or as manufactured, in Norwich.
nun’s cloth1884 A thin woollen stuff.
nun’s veiling1883 A thin dress-stuff.
oilcloth1697 A general name for any fabric of cotton, linen, hemp, etc. prepared with oil, so as to be rendered waterproof.
orange-list1830 A kind of wide baize.
organdie1835 A very fine and translucent kind of muslin.
orleans1844 A fabric of cotton warp and worsted weft, brought alternately to the surface in weaving.
osnaburg1545 A kind of coarse linen originally made in Osnabrück.
ottoman1883 A kind of fabric of silk, or silk and wool.
paduasoy1663 A strong corded or gros-grain silk fabric, much worn in the 18th century by both sexes, of which poult-de-soie is the modern representative.
panne1794 A soft kind of cloth with a long nap, resembling velvet.
paragon16051739A kind of double camlet; a stuff used for dress and upholstery in the seventeenth and early eighteenth century.
paramatta1834 A light dress fabric having a weft of combed merino wool and a warp formerly of silk, but now generally of cotton.
parisian cloth1960 ’An English textile of cotton warp and worsted weft.’
peeling16111769A thin skin or fabric formerly used as a dress material.
pekin1783 A kind of silk stuff.
penistone15511778A kind of coarse woollen cloth formerly used for garments, linings, etc.
percale1621 Originally a fabric imported from the East Indies in the 17th and 18th centuries.
percaline1858 A glossy kind of French cotton cloth, usually dyed of one colour.
perpet17151745Abbreviation of perpetuana: a durable fabric of wool manufactured in England from the 16th century (cf. the similar names everlasting, durance, lasting, etc.).
perpetuana1599 A durable fabric of wool manufactured in England from the 16th century (cf. the similar names everlasting, durance, lasting, etc.).
perse1386 In early writers, blue, bluish, bluish-grey; in later writers often taken (after Italian) as a dark obscure blue or purplish black; also as name of the colour, or of a stuff of the colour.
persian16961876A thin soft silk, usually used for linings. Also called Persia or Persian silk.
petersham1812 A thick kind of ribbon of ribbed or corded silk used for strengthening the waists of women’s dresses, and for belts and hatbands.
philip16141668A kind of worsted or woollen stuff of common quality (erroneously Phillipine, Cheny).
pine-wool1884 A wool-like material made from the spun fibres of pine-leaves, used in some countries for garments.
plaid1512 The woollen cloth of which plaids are made; later, applied to other fabrics with a tartan pattern.
plain1600 Plain cloth; a kind of flannel.
plain-backs1830 Weavers’ name for a kind of worsted fabric
pleasance1420 A fine kind of lawn or gauze; in a 1548 identified with lumberdyne.
plumbet15331882A woollen fabric; the same as plunket.
plunket1375 A woollen fabric of varying texture, of a grey or light blue colour.
plush1594 A kind of cloth, of silk, cotton, wool, or other material (or of two of these combined), having a nap longer and softer than that of velvet; used for rich garments (especially footmen’s liveries), upholstery, etc.
poldavy1481 A coarse canvas or sacking, originally woven in Brittany, and formerly much used for sailcloth.
poplin1710 A mixed woven fabric, consisting of a silk warp and worsted weft, and having a corded surface; now made chiefly in Ireland. Also applied to imitations of this.
poult de soie1835 A fine corded silk; ‘a plain silk of rich quality in a soft and bright grosgrain make’ ; now most frequently applied to coloured goods.
print1756 A printed cotton fabric; a piece of printed cotton cloth. Also, a pattern printed on fabric.
prunella1656 A strong stuff, originally silk, afterwards worsted, formerly used for graduates’, clergymen’s, and barristers’ gowns; later, for the uppers of women’s shoes.
puke14661612A superior kind of woollen cloth, of which gowns were made.
pullicate1792 a. A coloured handkerchief, originally made at Pulicat. b. Later, a material made in imitation of these, woven from dyed yarn.
raines15261721Cloth of Raine(s), a kind of fine linen or lawn made at Rennes in Brittany.
rash1578 A smooth textile fabric made of silk (silk rash), or worsted (cloth rash).
ratteen1685 A thick twilled woollen cloth, usually friezed or with a curled nap, but sometimes dressed; a frieze or drugget.
rattinet18111838A woollen stuff, somewhat thinner and lighter than ratteen.
ray13001837A kind of striped cloth.
renforcée16881698A strong make of silk.
rep1860 A textile fabric (of wool, silk, or cotton) having a corded surface.
ribbon1545 A narrow woven band of some fine material, as silk or satin, used to ornament clothing or headgear, or utilized for other purposes; without article, as a material.
roan16171696a. The place-name used attributively to designate the linen cloth made there. b. A make of linen from Rouen.
romal1683 A thin silk or cotton fabric with a handkerchief pattern.
rug15581711A rough woollen material, a sort of coarse frieze, in common use in the 16 -17th centuries.
russell1868 A ribbed or corded fabric, usually made with a cotton warp and woollen weft. Commonly called russell cord.
russet1275 A coarse homespun woollen cloth of a reddish-brown, grey or neutral colour, formerly used for the dress of peasants and country-folk.
sackcloth1373 A coarse textile fabric (now of flax or hemp) used chiefly in the making of bags or sacks and for the wrapping up of bales, etc.; sacking.
sagathy17071884‘A slight woollen stuff; being a kind of serge, or ratteen; sometimes mixed with a little silk.’
salempore1598 ‘A blue cotton cloth formerly made at Nellore in India, and largely exported to the West Indies, where it was the usual slave cloth.’
sameron15561684‘Sammaron, is a Cloath between Linnen and Hempen, not altogether so course as the one, nor fine as the other.’
samite13001971A rich silk fabric worn in the Middle Ages, sometimes interwoven with gold. Also, a garment or a cushion of this material.
sannah16961850Some kind of cotton fabric formerly exported from India.
sarcenet1463 A very fine and soft silk material made both plain and twilled, in various colours, now used chiefly for linings; a dress made of this.
satara1878 A woollen cloth.
sateen1878 A cotton or woollen fabric with a glossy surface like that of satin.
satin1366 A silk fabric with a glossy surface on one side, produced by a method of weaving by which the threads of the warp are caught and looped by the weft only at certain intervals.
satinet1703 An imitation of satin woven in silk, or silk and cotton.
satinisco16151661An inferior quality of satin.
saxony1842 A fine kind of wool, and cloth made from it. Several distinct kinds of fabric are thus designated.
say1297 A cloth of fine texture resembling serge; in the 16th century sometimes partly of silk, subsequently entirely of wool.
scarlet12501859In early use, some rich cloth, often of a bright red colour, but also sometimes of other colours, as blue, green, brown.
scotch cloth16751738A textile fabric resembling lawn, but cheaper; said to have been made of nettle fibre.
seersucker1722 A thin linen, or sometimes cotton, fabric, striped and with a crimped or puckered surface, of Indian manufacture. Also (and now chiefly) applied to imitations made elsewhere. Also, a garment made of seersucker.
sempiternum16331665A quality of woollen cloth made in the 17th century and similar to perpetuana.
sendal1225 A thin rich silken material; also, a covering or garment of this material.
serge1386 A woollen fabric, the nature of which has probably differed considerably at different periods. The name now denotes a very durable twilled cloth of worsted, or with the warp of worsted and the woof of wool, extensively used for clothing and for other purposes. Certain imported varieties were formerly known by French designations indicating the place of manufacture, as serge de Ghent, serge de Nismes, serge de Ro(h)an, serge de Shaloon.
shag1592 A cloth having a velvet nap on one side, usually of worsted, but sometimes of silk.
shagreen17021741A silk fabric.
shalloon1678 A closely woven woollen material chiefly used for linings.
shantung1882 A soft undressed Chinese silk.
sheeting1711 Stout cloth of linen or cotton, such as is used for bed linen, etc.
shirting1604 Material for shirts; specifically. a kind of piece-goods of stout cotton cloth suitable for shirts but also used for other garments.
shoddy1847 A cloth composed of shoddy wool; more fully shoddy cloth.
sicilienne1873 A fine poplin made of silk and wool.
silesia1727 A fine linen or cotton fabric originally manufactured in Silesia.
sindon1450 A fine thin fabric of linen; a kind of cambric or muslin.
stamin1225 a. A coarse cloth of worsted; in earliest use usually an under garment made of this worn by ascetics. b. In later use, a kind of woollen or worsted cloth, for outer garments, curtains, etc. for which Norfolk was formerly noted; = tamin, tammy.
stammel15301665A coarse woollen cloth, or linsey-woolsey, usually dyed red; an under-garment of this material, worn by ascetics.
straits14291706Cloth of single width, as opposed to broadcloth.
stuff1643 ‘This term may be applied to any woven textile, but it more especially denotes those of worsted, made of long or “combing wool”. Stuffs are distinguished from other woollen cloths by the absence of any nap or pile.’
suedette1915 A material designed to imitate the texture of suede, especially a type of cotton or rayon fabric with a suede-like nap.
superfines1812 Goods of superfine quality (see the following quotation: ‘The chief manufacture is cloth, which was formerly almost wholly of the coarser kinds; but the manufacture of superfines has of late increased’).
surah1873 A soft twilled silk fabric used for women’s dresses.
surat1643 The name of a town and district in the presidency of Bombay, India, used attributively to designate (a) a kind of cotton produced in the neighbourhood, (b) coarse cotton goods, usually uncoloured.
swansdown1801 a. A soft thick close woollen cloth. b. A thick cotton cloth with a nap on one side, also called Canton or cotton flannel.
swanskin1694 A fine thick kind of flannel; also, a woollen blanketing used by printers and engravers as an elastic impression-surface.
tabby1638 A general term for a silk taffeta, apparently originally striped, but afterwards applied also to silks of uniform colour waved or watered.
tabine16111626Apparently the same as tabby, the cloth (a general term for a silk taffeta, apparently originally striped, but afterwards applied also to silks of uniform colour waved or watered).
tabinet1778 A watered fabric of silk and wool resembling poplin: chiefly associated with Ireland.
taffetta1373 A name applied at different times to different fabrics. In early times apparently a plain-wove glossy silk (of any colour); in more recent times, a light thin silk or union stuff of decided brightness or lustre. In the 16th century mention is also made of ‘linen taffety’. In recent times the name has been misapplied to various mixtures of silk and wool, and even cotton and jute, thin fine woollen material, etc.
tammy1665 A fine worsted cloth of good quality, often with a glazed finish. Much mentioned in 17th and 18th centuries, but apparently obsolete before 1858. The name was revived as a trade-term in the late 19th century.
tape1000 A narrow woven strip of stout linen, cotton, silk, or other textile, used as a string for tying garments, and for other purposes for which flat strings are suited, also for measuring lines, etc.
tarlatan1727 A kind of thin open muslin, used especially for ball-dresses.
tars13001450A rich and costly stuff of Oriental origin, used in the West in the 14th and 15th centuries.
tartan1500 A kind of woollen cloth woven in stripes of various colours crossing at right angles so as to form a regular pattern; worn chiefly by the Scottish Highlanders, each clan having generally its distinctive pattern; often preceded by a clan-name, etc. denoting a particular traditional or authorised design. Also, the pattern or design of such cloth, and applied to silk and other fabrics having a similar pattern.
tartarin13431688A rich stuff, apparently of silk, imported from the East, probably from China through Tartary.
taunton1499 Name of a town in Somersetshire; hence short for Taunton cloth, a woollen cloth formerly made there.
tavistock15351552A woollen cloth formerly made at the town of Tavistock.
tawny1416 Cloth of a tawny colour.
terry velvet1835 Of pile-fabrics: looped, having the loops that form the pile left uncut, as terry pile, terry velvet.
thickset17561882A stout twilled cotton cloth with a short very close nap; a kind of fustian; also, a garment of this material.
thunder and lightning17661868Applied to a cloth, apparently of glaring colours, worn in 18th century, and perhaps later.
ticklenburg1696 A kind of coarse linen cloth.
tie silk1920 A strong silk fabric used especially for ties and clothing.
tiffany1601 A kind of thin transparent silk; also a transparent gauze muslin, cobweb lawn.
tinsel15261755A kind of cloth or tissue; tinselled cloth; a rich material of silk or wool interwoven with gold or silver thread (cf. baudekin); sometimes apparently, a thin net or gauze thus made, or ornamented with thin plates of metal; later, applied to a cheap imitation in which copper thread was used to obtain the sparkling effect.
tissue13661910A rich kind of cloth, often interwoven with gold or silver.
tobine17551858= tabine: a general term for a silk taffeta, apparently originally striped, but afterwards applied also to silks of uniform colour waved or watered.
toilinet1799 A kind of fine woollen cloth: used in the first half of the 19th century for waistcoats of grooms, huntsmen, etc.
tuke1477 Canvas, such as is used for an awning or canopy; but also applied to a finer fabric.
tulle1818 A fine silk bobbin-net used for women’s dresses, veils, hats, etc.
tuly13211523An attribute of silk, tapestry, etc. of a rich red colour; perhaps originally applied to such fabrics imported from Toulouse.
turkin14831618A kind of light blue cloth.
tussore1619 A coarse brown silk (furnished by Antheræa mylitta and other species of silkworm) made in and imported from India.
tweed1847 A twilled woollen cloth of somewhat rough surface, and of great variety of texture, originally and still chiefly made in the south of Scotland (usually of two or more colours combined in the same yarn); inferior kinds are made of wool with a mixture of shoddy or cotton.
valencia1838 A mixed fabric mainly employed for waistcoats, having a wool weft with a warp of silk, silk and cotton, or linen, and usually striped.
velours1706 ‘A kind of velvet or plush for furniture, carpets, etc. manufactured in Prussia, partly of linen and partly of double cotton warps with mohair yarn weft.
velveret1769 A variety of fustian with a velvet surface.
velvet1320 A textile fabric of silk having a short, dense, and smooth piled surface; a kind or variety of this.
velveteen1776 A fabric having the appearance or surface of velvet, but made from cotton in place of silk.
venetian1710 A closely-woven cloth having a fine twilled surface, used as a suiting or dress material.
vermillion16411641A fabric dyed with vermilion.
vesse14831523A kind of worsted fabric formerly made in Suffolk.
victoria crape1877 ‘A very successful imitation of real crape is made in Manchester of cotton yarn, and sold under the name of Victoria crape.’
vicuna1851 A South American animal (Auchenia vicunna), closely related to the llama and alpaca, inhabiting the higher portions of the northern Andes and yielding a fine silky wool used for textile fabrics; thus Vicuña cloth; also, a garment made of this.
vigogne1873 A textile fabric made from the wool of the vicuña, used as a dress material; vicuña-cloth.
vitry14251867Vitry canvas, a kind of light durable canvas.
voile1889 A thin semi-transparent cotton or woollen material much used for blouses and dresses.
wad15401761A material composed of matted fibres of silk, raw cotton, etc.
wadmal1392 A kind of woollen cloth. a. In England, a coarse woollen material used principally for covering horse-collars, and other rough purposes; also (especially in the south-west) for petticoats, mittens, etc.). b. In Scotland, a woollen fabric woven in Orkney and Shetland. c. A woollen fabric worn by country people in Scandinavia and Iceland.
watchet11981865A light blue colour; cloth or garments of this colour.
west of England1843 The name of a region of England, used to designate high-quality woollen broadcloth for which it has long been noted.
whipcord1895 A close-woven ribbed worsted material used for dresses, riding breeches, etc.
wildbore1784 A stout and closely woven unglazed tammy.
worcester15511551‘The name of the county town of Worcestershire, used attributively to designate articles originating there, e.g. (formerly) a fine cloth.’
worsted1293 A woollen fabric or stuff made from well-twisted yarn spun of long-staple wool combed to lay the fibres parallel.
zanella1876 ‘A mixed twilled fabric introduced of late years, and used for covering umbrellas.’
zephyr1849 A fine light cotton cloth of the gingham type used for women’s dresses, having the colours woven into the fabric.
zibelline1892 A soft smooth woollen material with a slightly furry surface, used for women’s dress..

* If obsolete

** Quotation marks indicate the use of a quotation by the OED.