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• paisley
  paisley

  noun

  a soft woolen fabric woven with a pattern of colorful and minutely detailed figures.
• Paisley
  Paisley

  noun

  a city in the Strathclyde region, in SW Scotland, W of Glasgow: thread factories.

paisley

¹ American  

[payz-lee] / ˈpeɪz li /

Or Paisley

noun

• paisleys
  plural

1. a soft woolen fabric woven with a pattern of colorful and minutely detailed figures.

2. a shawl, scarf, tie, or other article made of this fabric.

3. a silk print simulating this fabric and weave.

4. Also called paisley print. a pattern resembling the design or figure on this fabric or material.

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adjective

1. made of paisley.

   a paisley shawl.

2. having the pattern of a paisley.

Paisley ² American  

[payz-lee] / ˈpeɪz li /

noun

1. a city in the Strathclyde region, in SW Scotland, W of Glasgow: thread factories.

2. paisley.

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paisley ¹ British  

/ ˈpeɪzlɪ /

noun

1. a pattern of small curving shapes with intricate detailing, usually printed in bright colours

2. a soft fine wool fabric traditionally printed with this pattern

3. a garment made of this fabric, esp a shawl popular in the late 19th century

4. (modifier) of or decorated with this pattern

   a paisley scarf

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Paisley ² British  

/ ˈpeɪzlɪ /

noun

1. Bob. 1919–96, English footballer and manager: played for Liverpool (1939–54); under his management (1974–83) Liverpool won six English titles and the European Cup three times (1977, 1978, 1981)

2. Ian ( Richard Kyle ) Baron. born 1926, Northern Ireland politician and Presbyterian minister; cofounder (1972) and leader of the Ulster Democratic Unionist Party, First Minister of Northern Ireland from 2007 to 2008

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Paisley ³ British  

/ ˈpeɪzlɪ /

noun

1. an industrial town in SW Scotland, the administrative centre of Renfrewshire: one of the world's chief centres for the manufacture of thread, linen, and gauze in the 19th century. Pop: 74 170 (2001)

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• paisleys
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of paisley

First recorded in 1825–35; named after Paisley

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Explanation

If your favorite scarf is printed with a pattern consisting of shapes that look like drops of water, you are a fan of paisley and its swirly curves and colors. This Scottish toponym, or place name, (from the town of Paisley, in Renfrewshire) denotes a fabric design that was massively manufactured there in the 19th century. A paisley design itself is Middle Eastern in origin though, having traveled to Europe in the colonial period and become so popular that import could not meet demand.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

paisley Paisley paisleys

A geriatric care worker in her late 50s, she is looking for a design in a particular shade of baby pink with a dull gold paisley motif.

From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2026

Further investigation uncovered a full skeleton with a faded, paisley dress and pointed heels.

From New York Times ● May 16, 2024

But, he said people should not expect to see astronauts in "paisley spacesuits or any fancy patterns like that. Maintaining a good thermal environment is really the critical thing".

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2023

What’s made paisley transcend time and cultures can be found in the simple beauty of a teardrop.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2023

When she does, my mom points out that Auntie Seema is a fifty-something-year-old woman who wears ripped jeans and paisley bandannas tied around her head.

From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi

Liverpool's European pedigree really began when Bill Shankly's side won the Uefa Cup in 1973, the Reds doing it again three years later under Shankly's former assistant Bob Paisley.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

Presbyterian firebrands such as the late Ian Paisley later tried to make it even harder to get a drink, calling alcohol “the devil’s buttermilk.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

She was due to be picked up on one of the Haggis Waggon Tours buses in Paisley at 8am, along with three others.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

The child was then taken by taxi to a dirty, rubbish-strewn property in Paisley, Renfrewshire.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

“Ms. Paisley would like to see you after the show,” he said.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry

One particularly vibrant example from the Caucasus has a pattern of stylized, almost hexagonal paisleys in an array of colors.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 28, 2023

The theatre had the grandeur of a cathedral: blood-red velvet curtains framed the stage; golden ceilings, patterned with blue-and-purple paisleys, soared over vaudeville-era balconies and plush seats.

From The New Yorker ● Jan. 8, 2017

Napoleon’s wife Joséphine began stockpiling paisleys, and by the early 1800s, European desire for paisley had intensified into frenzy.

From Slate ● Oct. 20, 2015

And if mistakes become a style, the broad ties, cheap tuxedo shirts, miasmic paisleys and mutton-chopped chauvinism of S.C.

From New York Times ● Apr. 5, 2015

I held up a calf-length black dress with pink paisleys.

From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green

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