First recorded in 1665–70; named after Silesia
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Yes, I want some twilled silesia, a paper of number nine needles, and two yards of narrow lavender ribbon. Have you got your thick boots on, and something warm under your cloak?”
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
Yes, I want some twilled silesia, a paper of number nine needles, and two yards of narrow lavender ribbon.
From Little Women by Alcott, Louisa May
Cotton linings include silesia, originally a linen cloth made in Silesia and now usually a twilled cotton cloth which is dyed various colours; Italian cloth, a kind of jean or sateen produced originally in Italy.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 5 "Cosway" to "Coucy" by Various
The other is to make a list of articles before you leave home, something like this: Nine yards of merino for gown; three yards of silesia; two spools of cotton, Nos.
From Holiday Stories for Young People by Sangster, Margaret Elizabeth
Yes; I want some twilled silesia, a paper of number nine needles, and two yards of narrow lavender ribbon.
From Little Women or Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Alcott, Louisa May
It's a far cry from basin depths in Silesia -- a historic coal mining region in southern Poland where he still extracts the ore.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Soon after his father’s death in 1740, Frederick demonstrated his aptitude for warfare when he invaded and won the Austrian province of Silesia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026
First published in 1998, this early gem from Nobel Prize winner Tokarczuk takes place in Silesia, a region of Poland close to the Czech Republic and influenced by its Bohemian culture.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2025
The displaced Poles were in turn resettled in Silesia, a region on the border of Czechoslovakia that had formerly belonged to Germany.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
During that time, the Saar and Silesia were taken, the Ruhr was encircled by American troops, and another bridgehead was formed across the Rhine by soldiers of General Patton’s army.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
