nainsook

[ neyn-sook, nan- ]

/ ˈneɪn sʊk, ˈnæn- /

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noun

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

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Origin of nainsook

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

Words nearby nainsook

nail technician, nail up, nail varnish, nail violin, Naima, nainsook, Naipaul, Nair, naira, NAI register, Nairn

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How to use nainsook in a sentence

She wore a white duck skirt, a soft nainsook blouse open at the throat, the sailor collar knotted with a red silk scarf.
Peggy Stewart at School|Gabrielle E. Jackson
She wore a frock of white embroidered nainsook and a leghorn covered with white feathers.
The Californians|Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton
The framework and ribs were made entirely of Riga pine; the surface fabric was nainsook.
A History of Aeronautics|E. Charles Vivian
I should get them to do it for me on soft fine nainsook, and make a speciality of summer morning gowns and children's frocks.
Notwithstanding|Mary Cholmondeley

They decide to use nainsook and to trim them with German valenciennes lace.
Clothing and Health|Helen Kinne

British Dictionary definitions for nainsook

nainsook

/ (ˈneɪnsʊk, ˈnæn-) /

noun

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

Word Origin for nainsook

C19: from Hindi nainsukh, literally: delight to the eye, from nain eye + sukh delight, from Sanskrit sukha

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