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muslin

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mus⋅lin

[muhz-lin]
–noun
a cotton fabric made in various degrees of fineness and often printed, woven, or embroidered in patterns, esp. a cotton fabric of plain weave, used for sheets and for a variety of other purposes.

Origin:
1600–10; < F mousseline < It mussolina, equiv. to Mussol(o) Mosul, Iraq (where first made) + -ina -ine 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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mus·lin   (mŭz'lĭn)   
n.  Any of various sturdy cotton fabrics of plain weave, used especially for sheets.

[French mousseline, from Italian mussolina, from Mussolo, Mosul, Iraq, from Arabic (al-)Mawṣil, from mawṣil, place of joining, from waṣala, to join; see wṣl in Semitic roots.]
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

muslin 
1609, "delicately woven cotton fabric," from Fr. mousseline, from It. mussolina, from Mussolo "Mosul," city in northern Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) where muslin was made, from Arabic Mawsil. Like many fabric names, it has changed meaning over the years, in this case from luxurious to commonplace. In 13c. O.Fr., mosulin meant "cloth of silk and gold." The meaning "everyday cotton fabric for shirts, bedding, etc." is U.S., 1872.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

muslin

plain-woven cotton fabric made in various weights. The better qualities of muslin are fine and smooth in texture and are woven from evenly spun warps and wefts, or fillings. They are given a soft finish, bleached or piece-dyed, and are sometimes patterned in the loom or printed. The coarser varieties are often of irregular yarns and textures, bleached, unbleached, or piece-dyed and are generally finished by the application of sizing. Grades of muslin are known by such names as book, mull, swiss, and sheeting.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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