cheesecloth

[cheez-klawth, -kloth]

noun

a lightweight cotton fabric of open texture.

Origin of cheesecloth

First recorded in 1650–60; so called because first used to wrap cheese

Also called, especially British, butter muslin.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for cheese cloth

cheesecloth

noun

a loosely woven cotton cloth formerly used only for wrapping cheese

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

Word Origin and History for cheese cloth

1650s, originally cloth in which curds were pressed, from cheese (n.1) + cloth.