oilcloth

[oil-klawth, -kloth]

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noun, plural oil·cloths [oil-klawth z, -kloth z, -klawths, -kloths] /ˈɔɪlˌklɔðz, -ˌklɒðz, -ˌklɔθs, -ˌklɒθs/ for 2.

a cotton fabric made waterproof by being treated with oil and pigment, for use as tablecloths, shelf coverings, and the like.

a piece of this fabric.

RELATED WORDS

coat, canvas, cover, sailcloth

Origin of oilcloth

First recorded in 1690–1700; oil + cloth

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

Examples from the Web for oilcloth

Historical Examples of oilcloth

He pulled an oilcloth sheet over the bed, and lay breathing deeply of the damp, perfumed air as he again slept.
The Harvester
Gene Stratton Porter
A sort of room was formed at one end by putting up a partition of oilcloth.
Narrative of an Expedition to the Shores of the Arctic Sea in 1846 and 1847
John Rae
The floor about the bed is protected by newspapers or oilcloth.
The Mother and Her Child
William S. Sadler
And this time, and for the first time that morning, Joe pulled back the oilcloth cover from the other side.
The Story of a Candy Rabbit
Laura Lee Hope
If preferred, a small board about a foot square may be used instead of oilcloth.
Home Occupations for Boys and Girls
Bertha Johnston

British Dictionary definitions for oilcloth

oilcloth

noun

waterproof material made by treating one side of a cotton fabric with a drying oil, or a synthetic resin

another name for linoleum

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

Word Origin and History for oilcloth

1690s, "cotton or a similar fabric waterproofed with oil," from oil (n.) + cloth. In reference to an oil-treated canvas used as a cheap floor covering, 1796.