crinoline

American  

[krin-l-in] / ˈkrɪn l ɪn /

noun

• crinolines
  plural

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

2. a stiff, coarse cotton material for interlining.

3. a hoop skirt.

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

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crinoline British  

/ ˈkrɪnəlɪn /

noun

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

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

3. a framework of steel hoops worn for the same purpose

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• crinolines
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of crinoline

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

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Explanation

Crinoline is a stiff, coarse type of fabric that can make some clothes rigid. If you want an extra puffy skirt, put a layer of crinoline under it. You ever notice how a hat is stiffer than other clothes? The material that often makes it stiff is called crinoline. Crinoline also used to be popular as material in woman's skirts, the kind of skirts that were two or three times wider than the woman: crinoline helped achieve that effect. Crinoline was originally made with horsehair, but now material with the same purpose is still called crinoline, though it might have a different composition.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

crinoline crinolines

There is also a costume inspired by crinoline, the stiff or structured petticoat designed to hold out a skirt or tutu, but whimsically reimagined using neoprene.

From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026

She styled the tailored look with a headpiece featuring a crinoline base with a layer of tulle and merry widow veiling, adorned with a ribbon bow.

From Washington Times ● May 6, 2023

Jean Milton Ellis, the sixth woman to wear it, added a crinoline to “give it a little boost” and avoid modifying the hem.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 21, 2022

Similarly, when Fanny dies horribly after her clothes accidentally catch fire, we are told at length about the dangers of crinoline in the age of candles.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 2, 2020

I got a real quilted skirt and crinoline slip.

From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals

Skirts could be very full, with crinolines underneath, or they could be pencil skirts, worn with cinch belts and sweaters with bat-wing sleeves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2025

You’ll be telling people how lucky they are to have crinolines — just try to get a decent one in 2022! — and they’ll be bugging you about this iPhone thing you mentioned.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 6, 2022

And his fear that the work’s immediacy would be drowned in crinolines has been justified by a thousand soft, safe costume-drama “Traviatas.”

From New York Times ● Oct. 14, 2019

Essentially, viewers were shocked by the way she occasionally tugs at the bottom of her skirt and how the crinolines underneath are visible.

From Time ● Jun. 21, 2016

The gowns and crinolines and veils worn by the dolls were all faded to beige and grey and fawn, and the faces were almost worn away.

From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill

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