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chintz

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chintz

[chints]
–noun
1. a printed cotton fabric, glazed or unglazed, used esp. for draperies.
2. a painted or stained calico from India.

Origin:
1605–15; earlier chints, pl. of chint < Gujarati ch
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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chintz   (chĭnts)   
n.  A printed and glazed cotton fabric, usually of bright colors.

[Obsolete chints, pl. of chint, calico cloth, from Hindi cīṇṭ, from Sanskrit citra-, shiny, variegated.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

chintz 
1719, pl. of chint (1614), from Hindi chint, from Skt. chitra-s "clear, bright." The plural became regarded as singular, and for unknown reason shifted -s to -z. Disparaging sense (chintzy) from the commonness of the fabric, is first recorded 1851.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

chintz

plainwoven, printed or solid-colour, glazed cotton fabric, frequently a highly glazed printed calico. Originally "chintz" (from the Hindi word meaning "spotted") was stained or painted calico produced in India. The modern fabric is commonly made in several colours on a light ground and used for decorative (see ) and apparel purposes. Unglazed chintz is known as cretonne.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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