Turkish towel
1
3.5
- noun
- /ˈtɜrkɪʃ taʊəl/
:
toalla turca
- After a long swim, I wrapped myself in a soft, absorbent Turkish towel to dry off quickly.
Examples
-
The spa provided a fluffy Turkish towel for guests to use after their treatments.
-
Like a Turkish towel.
Fiction book (1999) -
"You're lucky," I said as she rubbed my legs and back dry with an enormous Turkish towel.
Fiction book (1994) -
She couldn't believe she was doing this, but she reached her hand out and grabbed the big white Turkish towel hanging on a hoop nearby.
Fiction book (1996) -
The maid came forward, silent and neat-footed between the spills of scented water, and extended a giant Turkish towel.
Fiction book (1994) -
She hung the colorful Turkish towel by the poolside for everyone to use after their swim.
Synonyms
565
1.0
A piece of cloth or paper used to dry people and objects
4
1.0
A large cloth that dries your body after a bath or shower
A towel made of thick cloth with many small loops that soaks up water
How Absorbent
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is a simple adjective + noun: 'Turkish' (pertaining to Turkey) + 'towel' (an absorbent cloth), so its basic meaning—a kind of towel associated with Turkey—is directly inferable from the constituents. While there may be culture-specific features (a traditional Turkish towel's weave or texture), these details do not prevent a B1 learner who knows both words from understanding the term.
Etymology
Turkish towel comes from the long tradition of Turkish bathhouses, where people used light, very absorbent cloths made by local weavers to dry off. So, today a Turkish towel means a towel made in that Turkish style, light, quick-drying and very absorbent.