decating

[ dek-uh-ting ]

noun

1. a finishing process for making fabric more lustrous, for improving the tactile quality of the nap, and for setting the material to reduce shrinkage.

Word History and Origins

Origin of decating¹

First recorded in 1905–10; from French décat(ir) “to sponge, remove gloss” (equivalent to dé- prefix indicating removal + catir “to press, add gloss to,” from unattested Vulgar Latin coāctīre “to drive together,” equivalent to Latin coāct(us), past participle of cōgere “to compel”); de-, cogent, -ing ¹