taffeta

[ taf-i-tuh ]
See synonyms for taffeta on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a medium-weight or light-weight fabric of acetate, nylon, rayon, or silk, usually smooth, crisp, and lustrous, plain-woven, and with a fine crosswise rib effect.

  2. any of various other fabrics of silk, linen, wool, etc., in use at different periods.

adjective
  1. of or resembling taffeta.

Origin of taffeta

1
1325–75; Middle English taffata<Medieval Latin ≪ Persian tāftah silken or linen cloth, noun use of past participle of tāftan to twist, spin

Words Nearby taffeta

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use taffeta in a sentence

  • taffeta is one of the oldest weaves known, silk under this name having been in constant use since the fourteenth century.

    Textiles | William H. Dooley

British Dictionary definitions for taffeta

taffeta

/ (ˈtæfɪtə) /


noun
    • a crisp lustrous plain-weave silk, rayon, etc, used esp for women's clothes

    • (as modifier): a taffeta petticoat

  1. any of various similar fabrics

Origin of taffeta

1
C14: from Medieval Latin taffata, from Persian tāftah spun, from tāftan to spin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012