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messaline

American  
[mes-uh-leen, mes-uh-leen] / ˌmɛs əˈlin, ˈmɛs əˌlin /

noun

  1. a thin, soft silk with a twill or satin weave.


messaline British  
/ ˌmɛsəˈliːn, ˈmɛsəˌliːn /

noun

  1. a light lustrous twilled-silk fabric

"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

Etymology

Origin of messaline

Borrowed into English from French around 1905–10

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The countess wore a beautiful gown of white messaline.

From The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach Proving Their Mettle Under Southern Skies by Crane, Laura Dent

That's a stylish messaline the second one's got on, all right.

From Every Soul Hath Its Song by Hurst, Fannie

I could write a book on the Decline and Fall of the Petticoat, beginning with the billowy white muslin variety, and working up to the present slinky messaline affair.

From Roast Beef, Medium by Ferber, Edna

It was of messaline silk of ivory whiteness and made with a short Empire waist and narrow, clinging skirt.

From The Camp Fire Girls Across the Seas by Vandercook, Margaret

Elfreda was looking particularly handsome in her evening gown of golden brown messaline, trimmed with dull gold embroidery.

From Grace Harlowe's Fourth Year at Overton College by Flower, Jessie Graham [pseud.]