seersucker

[seer-suhk-er]

noun

a plainwoven cotton, rayon, or linen fabric: traditionally a striped cotton with alternate stripes crinkled in the weaving.

Origin of seersucker

1715–25; < Hindi sīrsakar < Persian shīr o shakar literally, milk and sugar

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

British Dictionary definitions for seersucker

seersucker

noun

a light cotton, linen, or other fabric with a crinkled surface and often striped

Word Origin for seersucker

C18: from Hindi śīrśakar, from Persian shīr o shakkar, literally: milk and sugar

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 seersucker

1722, from Hindi sirsakar, East Indian corruption of Persian shir o shakkar "striped cloth," literally "milk and sugar," a reference to the alternately smooth and puckered surfaces of the stripes. From Persian shir (cf. Sanskrit ksiram "milk") + shakar (cf. Pali sakkhara, Sanskrit sarkara "gravel, grit, sugar;" see sugar (n.)).