muslin

Meaning

1. Any of several varieties of thin cotton cloth.
2. Fabric made of cotton, flax (linen), hemp, or silk, finely or coarsely woven.
3. Any of a wide variety of tightly-woven thin fabrics, especially those used for bedlinen.
4. Woven cotton or linen fabrics, especially when used for items other than garments.
5. A dressmaker's pattern made from inexpensive cloth for fitting.
6. Any of several different moths, especially the muslin moth, Diaphora mendica.
7. Woman as sex object; prostitute, as in a bit of muslin.

Synonyms

cotton cloth

chiffon

cretonne

dimity

light

mull

nettle

pillows

poplin

sail

silk

tissue

tussore

crepon

mousseline de laine

swansdown

broadcloth

mousseline de sole

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈmʌz.lɪn/

Etymology

From French mousseline, from Italian mussolina, from Mussolo (“Mosul”), that is Mosul in northern Iraq (compare 1875 Knight, Edward H., Knight's American Mechanical Dictionary, V2 p1502: "Muslins are so called from Moussol in India."). Doublet of mousseline.