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ciré

[si-rey]
noun
  1. a brilliant, highly glazed surface produced on fabrics by subjecting them to a wax, heat, and calendering treatment.
  2. a double fabric having such a finish.
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Origin of ciré

1920–25; < French < Latin cērātus waxed, equivalent to cēr(a) wax (see cere2) + -ātus -ate1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for cire

Historical Examples of cire

  • Very businesslike are the shoeblacks of Algiers; they dont mind what they cire as long as they cire something.

    In the Land of Mosques &amp; Minarets

    Francis Miltoun

British Dictionary definitions for cire

ciré

adjective
  1. (of fabric) treated with a heat or wax process to make it smooth
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noun
  1. such a surface on a fabric
  2. a fabric having such a surface
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Word Origin for ciré

C20: French, from cirer to wax, from cire, from Latin cēra wax
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 cire

adj.

1921, from French ciré, literally "waxed" (12c.), from Latin cera "wax" (see cere (n.)). Often short for ciré silk.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper