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Chronicle (Levin), 8 March 1947, Page 2

DO YOU KNOW?

TEXTILE ETYMOLOGY. PART II. (Contributed by tne Sarah Anne Rhode.s i'ciiowsJiip in lLome Science, vvitli acknowledgement Lo the Journal ot Praclieai Home Economics). Many names coinmon to ihe 'textiie mdustry identify not only tl.e fabric but also the method of weaving, place of origin or the mventor. Lasl week Ihe glossary covered temis derived x'rom tlie Latin and Greek, (Jhinese and Aear East. From the French. France, more than auy otner country, developed couibinations of textiie libres and devised new methods of weaving kuovvn fabrics and libres. This and a patronage of a wealthy leisure eiass oi Europeana gave France a primaey in Lasluun „vvliieh lias been retained for alinost iive hundred years. (Jainbric, a syf t white eloseiy woven thin cotton fabric, derived ils name I rom the French. City of Cambrai, where it was. lirst woven. Chambray, a .fabric mucli used foi shirts and children 's clotlies, is also nained for Cambrai where it was origin aily fabricated for sunbonnets. Chenille, a yarn with a fuzzy pile protrudiug from all sides, is named troni the French word for a little cat erpillar, or hairy worni. Clnifon, a short plain weave slicer fabric used ior dresses and scarves gets its name.. from the French word "chiff'e, " which means flimsy clotli. Corduroy, a cut piie fabric mucli used for coats and sports clolhes, allhough woven in Hngland. mucli earliei llian in France, is so named from the French "colour de roi, " or king's colours. ll was once looked upon as a kingiy clotli. Cretoune, a dress or draperv fabric similar to cliiutz, was so named because of its origin in the Nornian village of Creton. JDenim, a lirm twill- weave cotton fabric made of coarse yarn, was origiually called "clotli d'Ninies" l'roni tlie city in which it Miis lirst woven. Gabardine, a tiglitlv woven twilled 1 inaterial, olitained its name from Ihe: old French word ' galvurdine " which' ineant pilgrim 's cloak. 11 was then a> coarse, loose inaterial suitable for a eloak or mantle. Georgette, a sheer fabric witli a crcpy surface, oblained ils name from Mtnc. Georgette de la 1'lante, a nineleeiith century niodist who lirst used this fabric. ' Grenadine, a linc, loostdy woven fabric similar to marquiseltc, gets ils name from tlie French word " gernadine, " a strongly jierfumed fiower, ' siinilar to our camalion. Jeans, a-sturdy twilled fabric iu solid colours or stripes, is a corniption of Cealf, tlie city in which it was lirst made, bawn, derives its name from Lnson, in the Picardy district of France, which was famous for its very (ine thin i'ab ric mucli used by cluirch dignitaries. Moire, a waved or watered ofTocl on a textiie fabric, quite logieallv gets its name from the French word "morrer" meaning wave. . Pique from tlie Prencli word "pi(|ue"j meaning pike ot soniething which pierces, is not altered when applied to our cotton fabric haviug raised cords. Tulle, a verv (ine silk net used for veils and trimmings, is named for thoj City of Tulle in which it was lirst fali- j ricated. From the Languages of India, Calico, a plain woven cotton clotli - with figured pattfc'tuis on oue side, was, so named from Calieut, a city on t lie ( Malabar Goast of India, which in tuni obtained its name from "cutta" mean- 1 ing temple, and "kaii" a Hiiulu goddess. Calcutta was long a cliief port s of India through wliieh this type of| clotli reached Europe. Cashmere, an extreniel.v soft woollen fabric, gets its name from goats nativej to tlie Kashmir Province of India. Chintz, a Hindu word from the San- i skrit, "cliitra" meaning spotted or j many coloured, describes India ■ calico j stained in a variety of colours on a J white baekground. Tn inodeni inter | pretation, cjii utsf is a glazed cotton fab- j ric prinfed with gay iigures or floral de-signs. Gingham, a linen of cotton cloth usually woven in stripes, plaids or

cliecks on two or more colours, also from India, lias ils rools in tlie Malay j an vvord, "g'iug gaug" wliicli means I striped. jviiaki eloth, a wool or cotton fabric, is named for its peculiar colour, the word being an lndian designation for dusty or earth colour. About 1.850 Knglish troops in india purposely soiled their white iinifornis to reduce visibililv when on Ihe niarch. Later they found a rmtivo clotli of approximatcly | llie sanie sliade and iiave used it ever since. 1 Madras, a lirm woven cotton fabric Iwitli strijies or cliecks, mucli like gingj Jiam, was lirsl made l'or sailor lieadj dresses al Madras, lience its name. | Muslin, a plain weave cotton clotli i ranging in weiglit froni batisle lo peri calc, was so nained lroin ihe City of ; Mosul, a place beyond Ihe Kurdistaui border, where this type of clotli was) , lirst niaimfact ured. Home elyniologisls ■ believe that tlie native pronunciation i of Moslem is really Muslin and that the1 nialerial used for dresses by l'ollowers j of tlie l'rophet deterinined the name of' the fabric. From Othcr Sourccs. Ikilgriggan w as so named beeawse it ' rescnildes unbleached liosiery fornierly ■ made at Halbr.iggan, Ireland. Haldachin, a ricli embroidered fab,-! ric, gets its name from Baldacco, the | 1 1 n I in n name for Baglulad. Bunting, a cotton fabric mucli like checseclot li, obtained its name from tlie Saxon word meaning to sift, as tliis clotli was largely used for that. purpose uulil line wire niesh supplantod it. Fell comes from the German "falzen'' meaning to groove or join Lpgetlier, and accuralely describes a cliaracterislic of wool libre. A'n old legeud relates that the feltiug qualities of wool were disoovered by Sl. Clement, fourthj Bishop of Kome. Wlicn persecuted and forced to flee, Iie placed a layer of ravv wool belween his foet and his sandals to case tlie pain from blisters. A combinat ion oi' lieat uioisture and pres sure worked tlie wool into a coiupact inass which the Bishop caused to Iie widelv used. St. Clement is still tlie patroii saint of liatter; , .Tersey, a-knitted elastic fabric usually of wool, cotton or ra you, and Kersev, a lieavv pure wool double clotli, botli received their names from the Is- . land of -Tersey where, since tlie davs'of Queen Fliznbeth, woinen liave spun and knitt«d lieavy woollen clotli for their fishertuen. Twe.ed, a rough -surt'aced -woollen inaterial with a homespun effect, was originallv called "tvvill". The name ' ' tweed ' ' originated accidently wlien a certain invoiee for twill clotli becanie blurred in tlie copy press and a cloth mercliaiit road tlie woriL ( weed,. Ast the ,1'lotli liad been woven 011 tlie banks of the river Tweed, this seenied appropriate and the name stuck. Worsted yarn, made from long staples evenlv comlied wool, was first spun in Pngland in 11140. at* YVorsted, a parisli in Norfolk, and so earned its name. Htoekings made from this "worsted" were, at first, used only bv tlie common people and a rather frequent form of contempt was to call a rival a "worsted stocking knave".