nankeen

American  

[nan-keen] / nænˈkin /

Also nankin

noun

1. a firm, durable, yellow or buff fabric, formerly made from a natural-colored Chinese cotton.

2. a twilled material made from other cotton and dyed in imitation of this fabric.

3. nankeens, garments made of this material.

4. a yellow or buff color.

5. Also called Nanking china,.  Also called Nankeen porcelain,.  Also called Nanking ware.  a type of Chinese porcelain having blue ornament on a white ground.

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nankeen British  

/ ˈnænkɪn, næŋˈkiːn /

noun

1. a hard-wearing buff-coloured cotton fabric

2. 1. a pale greyish-yellow colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      a nankeen carpet

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Etymology

Origin of nankeen

1745–55; after Nankin Nanking, where first made

Example Sentences

When Francie spoke to him, he folded his hands in the wide sleeves of his nankeen shirt coat and kept his eyes on the ground.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

The eggs are generally of a pale yellow, or nankeen color, not remarkably large, compared with the size of the fowl, and generally blunt at the ends.

From Sheep, Swine, and Poultry Embracing the History and Varieties of Each; The Best Modes of Breeding; Their Feeding and Management; Together with etc. by Jennings, Robert

In point of colour the black and nankeen varieties are the best.

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 3 Atrebates to Bedlis by Various

For the country, dresses of Chinese nankeen and Persian jaconet are worn; and to protect from the sun, a kind of hood, of similar stuff.

From The International Monthly, Volume 4, No. 1, August, 1851 by Various

I remember going to a performance of "Norma," at the Apollo Theatre in Rome, at which the Roman warriors wore firemen's helmets and tunics, and yellow nankeen trousers with cherry-coloured stripes.

From Autobiographical Reminiscences with Family Letters and Notes on Music by Gounod, Charles