fustian

[ fuhs-chuhn ]

noun

1. a stout fabric of cotton and flax.
2. a fabric of stout twilled cotton or of cotton and low-quality wool, with a short nap or pile.
3. inflated or turgid language in writing or speaking:

   Fustian can't disguise the author's meager plot.

   Synonyms: claptrap, rant, bombast

adjective

1. made of fustian:

   a fustian coat;

   fustian bed linen.

2. pompous or bombastic, as language:

   fustian melodrama.

3. worthless; cheap:

   fustian knaves and dupes.

fustian

/ ˈfʌstɪən /

noun

1. 1. a hard-wearing fabric of cotton mixed with flax or wool with a slight nap
   2. ( as modifier )

      a fustian jacket

2. pompous or pretentious talk or writing

adjective

1. cheap; worthless
2. pompous; bombastic

Word History and Origins

Origin of fustian¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English, fustian, fustain, fustein, from Old French fustai(g)ne, from Medieval Latin fūstāneum, fūstiānum, fūstānum, perhaps a derivative of Latin fūstis “stick, cudgel,” used as a loan translation of Greek (Septuagint) xýlina lína “cotton,” literally, “wood linen” ” (the cotton plant is woody, unlike flax, the source of linen); Fostat, a suburb of Cairo, where fustian was manufactured, has also been proposed as the source of fūstāneum

Word History and Origins

Origin of fustian¹

C12: from Old French fustaigne , from Medieval Latin fustāneum , from Latin fustis cudgel

Example Sentences

It was simple; it was direct; there was no fustian in it; and yet it told the story perfectly.

From The Daily Beast

He wrote and read, and smoked and wrote, rising early, and talking fustian.

From Project Gutenberg

Even in fustian garments nobility hides with difficulty from keen and suspicious eyes.

From Project Gutenberg

Yes, there were swells here, ball-room coxcombs in fustian and felt.

From Project Gutenberg

Return to his bedroom, throw off the clothes, beat the featherbed, see that the fustian and sheets are clean.

From Project Gutenberg

The knight is first dressed in a doublet of fustian, lined with satin, which is cut with holes for ventilation.

From Project Gutenberg