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bombazine

bombazine

1 9.9
A fabric made with silk and wool that is used for dresses, often for funeral clothes
  • noun
  • /ˈbɑːmbəˌziːn/
  • Archaic
: bombazina
  • She had worn black bombazine and covered her hair and face with veils that symbolized her separation from her husband and the unseen world.
  • black bombazine

Examples

  • The widow wore a long, flowing bombazine dress as a sign of mourning for her late husband.

  • Night had a feel, too, for Alice, like swatches of material—velvet, twill, bombazine—a texture that shifted over the landscape.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • She is sick of black bombazine and wants to dine out.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Startled, Adorna studied the young woman in black bombazine.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • In a coffin she lay, hands folded over her black bombazine dress, face swollen and unrecognizable.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Narcissa departed with her husband a few hours after the ceremony, still wearing her black bombazine wedding dress, for a destination so frightening that no other missionary couples would accept the challenge.

    Academic text (2011)
  • During the funeral, many attendees were dressed in black bombazine, reflecting the somber occasion.

  • Her black bombazine skirt rustled softly as she walked through the hall, a reminder of her loss.

Surface Forms

bombazine singular
bombazines plural

Etymology

Bombazine comes from an old word bombax that meant 'cotton' or 'silk', so think of it as a cloth named for fine threads. That's why bombazine refers to a mixed fabric made with silk threads and wool, often used for 'mourning' dresses.