nankeen
- noun
- /næŋˈkin/
- Archaic
- He wore a stylish jacket made of nankeen during the warm afternoon.
Examples
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She admired the soft texture of the nankeen cloth displayed at the market.
-
The tailor selected a beautiful nankeen fabric for the summer suits.
-
Johnson sailed to China with an American company doing the cloth trade, Nankeen silk.
Fiction book (1996) -
Her captain strides the narrow quarterdeck, a short lowering figure in a cocked hat, blue brass-buttoned tail coat with white facings, and white nankeen breeches.
Fiction book (1991)
Synonyms
A strong cotton fabric often used to make trousers and uniforms
A cotton fabric with bright floral patterns and a shiny finish used to cover furniture or make curtains
A smooth cotton cloth with a soft shine that people use for sheets and dresses
A warm cotton cloth with a soft side used for clothes and sheets
A soft cotton fabric with fine ribs used for underwear and night clothes
A thin cotton fabric with a smooth surface that is slightly stiff, used for clothes and bandages
A soft, thin cotton cloth for making baby clothes and underwear
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word nankeen comes from the Chinese city Nanjing, where a pale, yellow cotton cloth was first made and sold. So nankeen today means that same strong, yellowish cotton fabric.