calico
Americannoun
-
a plain-woven cotton cloth printed with a figured pattern, usually on one side.
-
British. plain white cotton cloth.
-
an animal having a spotted or particolored coat.
-
Obsolete. a figured cotton cloth from India.
adjective
-
made of calico.
-
resembling printed calico; spotted or mottled.
noun
-
a white or unbleached cotton fabric with no printed design
-
a coarse printed cotton fabric
-
(modifier) made of calico
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of calico
1495–1505; short for Calico cloth, variant of Calicut cloth, named after city in India which originally exported it
Explanation
You can call anything with bright colors and patches calico like your cute calico cat or your colorful calico quilt. There are many fabrics in the world, including silk, cashmere, and denim. Another is calico, which is made from cotton fibers and is printed, meaning it has designs or pictures on it. A calico dress may be printed with purple flowers or have another wild design. Because calico is brightly colored, this word also describes just about anything decorated brightly. As an adjective, calico means something close to motley or multi-colored. A calico design is varied and anything but boring.
Vocabulary lists containing calico
Chains
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Cay
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
"Lizards, skinks and dragons were secured in calico bags. These bags were concealed in bags of popcorn, biscuit tins and a women's handbag and placed inside cardboard boxes," the statement said.
From Barron's ● Feb. 17, 2026
One contributor wrote: "We are siblings in the first and third grades of elementary school. We donated with our pocket money. Use it for research on calico cats."
From BBC ● May 15, 2025
They also found that skin from calico cats had more Arghap36 RNA in orange regions than in brown or black regions.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 27, 2024
The curious calico and her orange tomcat friend, Monu, had recently been sterilized and returned to the market.
From Salon ● Oct. 14, 2024
She unpinned the little calico bag from her waistband.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
The Hansons' cat is specifically a torn, and cat lovers soon pointed out that all calicoes are female.
From Time Magazine Archive
By the Victorian era, odd batches of brocade, chintzes and calicoes were patched into crazy quilts, more a tour de force in stitchery than in pattern.
From Time Magazine Archive
If she had been home, she might have spent the dark afternoons spinning or sewing, but the mistress bought her woolens and calicoes at the village stores.
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
Again and again Markrete visited the store, purchasing brilliant hued calicoes, beads and blankets, and receiving little presents from the trader, who endeavored in this manner to win her regard.
From Legends of The Kaw The Folk-Lore of the Indians of the Kansas River Valley by Voe, Carrie de
Unfolding some bright calicoes, he called the little girl to him.
From Lily Pearl and The Mistress of Rosedale by Glenwood, Ida
Most orange cats are boys, a quirk of feline genetics that also explains why almost all calicos and tortoiseshells are girls.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 27, 2024
Scientists curious about those sex differences—or perhaps just cat lovers—have spent more than 60 years unsuccessfully seeking the gene that causes orange fur and the striking patchwork of colors in calicos and tortoiseshells.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 27, 2024
The prints are Laura Ashley-esque micro-florals, calicos and gingham, the necklines are high, sometimes there is a bib or apron, there is usually at least one ruffle.
From New York Times ● Sep. 12, 2018
Rainbow and cc have different coloring, for example, since the coats of calicos are determined partly by genes and partly by random molecular changes during development.
From Time Magazine Archive
All along one side of it were shelves full of colored prints and calicos.
From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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.
