nainsook

[ neyn-soo k, nan- ]

/ ˈneɪn sʊk, ˈnæn- /

noun

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

Nearby words

Origin of nainsook

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nainsook

One was cambric, one was fine lawn or nainsook, and one of dimity.
A Little Girl in Old New York|Amanda Millie Douglas
Slips are usually made of some very soft material such as nainsook, batiste, pearline, or sheer lawn cloth.
The Mother and Her Child|William S. Sadler
When small folded maps are badly torn line them throughout with Japanese tissue, jaconet or nainsook.
Notes on Bookbinding for Libraries|John Cotton Dana
Being clothed only in nainsook, he took a severe cold, which soon resulted in febrile symptoms.
Every-Day Errors of Speech|L. P. Meredith

The framework and ribs were made entirely of Riga pine; the surface fabric was nainsook.
A History of Aeronautics|E. Charles Vivian

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