nankeen

[ nan-keen ]

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.

  1. nankeens, garments made of this material.

  2. a yellow or buff color.

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

Origin of nankeen

1
1745–55; after NankinNanking, where first made
  • Also nan·kin [nan-kin]. /ˈnæn kɪn/.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use nankeen in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for nankeen

nankeen

nankin (ˈnænkɪn)

/ (næŋˈkiːn) /


noun
  1. a hard-wearing buff-coloured cotton fabric

    • a pale greyish-yellow colour

    • (as adjective): a nankeen carpet

Origin of nankeen

1
C18: named after Nanking, China, where it originated

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