nainsook

American

[neyn-sook, nan-] / ˈneɪn sʊk, ˈnæn- /

noun

a fine, soft-finished cotton fabric, usually white, used for lingerie and infants' wear.

nainsook British

/ ˈneɪnsʊk, ˈnæn- /

noun

a light soft plain-weave cotton fabric, used esp for babies' wear

"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 nainsook

1780–90; < Urdu, Hindi nainsukh, equivalent to nain the eye + sukh pleasure

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.

So I just bought some beautiful, fine nainsook and cut out my shroud.

From Project Gutenberg

Miss Pinky Davis, our country sempstress, was sent for, and again Cousin Sue spent hours planning how best to cut up and trim the bolts of nainsook she had ordered from Richmond.

From Project Gutenberg

And Cousin Sue sent for a bolt of nainsook and yards and yards of lace and insertion and made up a whole lot of pretty underclothes for me.

From Project Gutenberg

All that summer her quick fingers were busy with fine white flannel and finer white nainsook, setting tiny stitches in small garments.

From Project Gutenberg

Nina’s gown was of white nainsook ruffled to the waist with lace, and very full.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023