batik

American  

[buh-teek, bat-ik] / bəˈtik, ˈbæt ɪk /

Or battik

noun

1. a technique of hand-dyeing fabrics by using wax as a dye repellent to cover parts of a design, dyeing the uncovered fabric with a color or colors, and dissolving the wax in boiling water.

2. the fabric so decorated.

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verb (used with object)

1. to hand-dye (material) using the technique of batik.

batik British  

/ ˈbætɪk /

noun

1. 1. a process of printing fabric in which parts not to be dyed are covered by wax

   2. fabric printed in this way

   3. ( as modifier )

      a batik shirt

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Etymology

Origin of batik

First recorded in 1875–80, batik is from the Javanese word baṭik

Explanation

Batik is cloth that's decorated using wax and dye. The patterns created using the batik technique are often elaborate and multicolored. Batik comes from the Javanese bathik and roots meaning "to write" and "dot." Like tie dye, batik is a resist dying technique — both methods create areas of the fabric that are impervious to dye. Batik patterns are often more intricate because an artist draws or writes on cloth using hot wax, leaving those precise lines and dots undyed. The process can be repeated with new patterns and additional dye colors, resulting in beautifully decorated fabric.

Example Sentences

Over the next 13 months, Buechel joined more Ace Camps trips: to Eswatini to learn batik and basketweaving, and Portugal to study embroidery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

Much of the cotton used for batik wasn’t grown in Indonesia, blunting the authenticity of the art form.

From New York Times • Jun. 30, 2023

Artist Marvin “MOA” Obasogie Aimiuwu stood in front of “Lively Journey,” a batik and acrylic painting created on linen, mounted on heavy canvas, adorned with gold and hung from hand-sculpted cherry wood.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 15, 2023

Musk, who is chief executive of both companies, appeared lit by candles, wearing a batik shirt sent by the organisers and said he was speaking from a place that had just lost power.

From Reuters • Nov. 14, 2022

He showed us batik, letting us paint wax patterns on cloth and T-shirts and spill dye everywhere.

From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge