Origin: 1325–75; Middle English satyn(e) < Middle French satin, probably < Arabic (aṭlas) zaytūnī (satin) of Zaitun a city in China where the cloth was made, probably Tsinkiang
a fabric of silk, rayon, etc, closely woven to show much of the warp, giving a smooth glossy appearance
2.
(modifier) of or like satin in texture: a satin finish
[C14: via Old French from Arabic zaitūnī of Zaytūn, Arabic rendering of Chinese Tseutung (now Tsinkiang), port in southern China from which the cloth was probably first exported]
1369, from O.Fr. satin (14c.), perhaps from Arabic (atlas) zaytuni, lit. "(satin) from Zaitun," a Chinese city, perhaps modern Tsinkiang in Fukien province, southern China, which was a port in the Middle Ages. The form of the word perhaps influenced in Fr. by L. seta "silk." OED finds the Arabic connection