crinoline

[ krin-l-in ]

/ ˈkrɪn l ɪn /

Save This Word!

noun

a petticoat of haircloth or other stiff material, worn under a full skirt to keep it belled out.

a stiff, coarse cotton material for interlining.

a hoop skirt.

a reinforcement of iron straps for holding together brickwork, as of a furnace or chimney.

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of crinoline

1820–30; <French <Italian crinolino, equivalent to crino horse-hair (≪ Latin crīnis hair) + lino flax <Latin līnum;cf. linen

Words nearby crinoline

crinkleroot, crinkly, crinkum-crankum, crinogenic, crinoid, crinoline, crinoline stretcher, crinophagy, crinose, crinum, criolla

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use crinoline in a sentence

It is not he who would write virtuous tirades against painting, rougeing, and the crinoline.
Charles Baudelaire, His Life|Thophile Gautier
The most extraordinary human figure that I ever saw was a black gin in a bird-cage crinoline.
Thirty Years in Australia|Ada Cambridge
Charlotte nodded, took up her dress, and contrived to thrust the trunk into a huge pocket under her crinoline.
The Shadow of Ashlydyat|Mrs. Henry Wood
You see it made my frock stand out like crinoline and no one would think it was anything else.
A Daughter of the Union|Lucy Foster Madison

"It wouldn't be such a bad catch, after all," soliloquized Afy, as she and her crinoline swayed along.
East Lynne|Mrs. Henry Wood

British Dictionary definitions for crinoline

crinoline

/ (ˈkrɪnəlɪn) /

noun

a stiff fabric, originally of horsehair and linen used in lining garments

a petticoat stiffened with this, worn to distend skirts, esp in the mid-19th century

a framework of steel hoops worn for the same purpose

Word Origin for crinoline

C19: from French, from Italian crinolino, from crino horsehair, from Latin crīnis hair + lino flax, from Latin līnum

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