oilskin
Americannoun
-
a cotton fabric made waterproof by treatment with oil and used for rain gear and fishermen's clothing.
-
a piece of this.
-
Often oilskins a garment made of this, especially a long, full-cut raincoat or a loose-fitting suit of pants and jacket as worn by sailors for protection against rain.
noun
-
-
a cotton fabric treated with oil and pigment to make it waterproof
-
( as modifier )
an oilskin hat
-
-
(often plural) a protective outer garment of this fabric
Etymology
Origin of oilskin
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They took off their oilskins and boots and awaited help.
From Seattle Times
The oilskin garments on the dummy seemed to confirm the fishy provenance.
From Washington Post
I awoke to Granddaddy hanging his dripping oilskin on a nail.
From Literature
Then there is the Spinner, a supersize straw rendition of the oilskin Southwester, whose elongated back brim keeps rain from coursing down the back of sailors’ necks.
From New York Times
The narrow main street was empty, except for the occasional figure in billowing head-to-toe oilskins or a feral cat slinking under a porch to avoid the unrelenting rain.
From The New Yorker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.