antimacassar

American  

[an-ti-muh-kas-er] / ˌæn tɪ məˈkæs ər /

noun

1. a small covering, usually ornamental, placed on the backs and arms of upholstered furniture to prevent wear or soiling; a tidy.

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antimacassar British  

/ ˌæntɪməˈkæsə /

noun

1. a cloth covering the back and arms of chairs, etc, to prevent soiling or as decoration

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Etymology

Origin of antimacassar

First recorded in 1850–55; anti- + Macassar (oil)

Example Sentences

This bit of bravado did not seriously damage Raphael's reputation, and the Pre-Raphaelites themselves grew to seem the epitome of Victorianism, sweet as treacle and finicky as a lace antimacassar.

From Time Magazine Archive

Except on the crack trains, cars are dirty, creaky, ramshackle and old, though also comfortable in a musty, antimacassar way.

From Time Magazine Archive

His strength was neurosis, and the best of his etchings, with their strangely modern battles of id and antimacassar, are illustrations of a Freudian maxim: civilization is repression.

From Time Magazine Archive

A novel by Vienna's Heimito von Doderer is rather like an Eames chair draped with an antimacassar.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Well, sir, it used to be an antimacassar; but Miss Gabriel had it made up for me, all the shirts in store bein' used up, so to speak."

From Major Vigoureux by Quiller-Couch, Arthur Thomas, Sir