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• silesia
  silesia

  noun

  a lightweight, smoothly finished, twilled fabric of acetate, rayon, or cotton, for garment linings.
• Silesia
  Silesia

  noun

  a region in central Europe along both banks of the upper Oder River, mainly in SW Poland and the N Czech Republic: formerly divided between Germany (which had the largest portion), Poland, and Czechoslovakia; by provision of the Potsdam agreement 1945, the greater part of German Silesia came under Polish administration; rich deposits of coal, iron, and other minerals.

silesia

¹ American  

[si-lee-zhuh, -shuh, sahy-] / sɪˈli ʒə, -ʃə, saɪ- /

noun

1. a lightweight, smoothly finished, twilled fabric of acetate, rayon, or cotton, for garment linings.

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Silesia ² American  

[si-lee-zhuh, -shuh, sahy-] / sɪˈli ʒə, -ʃə, saɪ- /

noun

1. a region in central Europe along both banks of the upper Oder River, mainly in SW Poland and the N Czech Republic: formerly divided between Germany (which had the largest portion), Poland, and Czechoslovakia; by provision of the Potsdam agreement 1945, the greater part of German Silesia came under Polish administration; rich deposits of coal, iron, and other minerals.

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Silesia ¹ British  

/ saɪˈliːʃɪə /

noun

1. German name: Schlesien.  Czech name: Slezsko.  Polish name: Śląsk.  a region of central Europe around the upper and middle Oder valley: mostly annexed by Prussia in 1742 but became almost wholly Polish in 1945; rich coal and iron-ore deposits

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silesia ² British  

/ saɪˈliːʃɪə /

noun

1. a twill-weave fabric of cotton or other fibre, used esp for pockets, linings, etc

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Other Word Forms

• Silesian
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of silesia

First recorded in 1665–70; named after Silesia

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

silesia Silesia

“Yes, I want some twilled silesia, a paper of number nine needles, and two yards of narrow lavender ribbon. Have you got your thick boots on, and something warm under your cloak?”

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

Cotton linings include silesia, originally a linen cloth made in Silesia and now usually a twilled cotton cloth which is dyed various colours; Italian cloth, a kind of jean or sateen produced originally in Italy.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 5 "Cosway" to "Coucy" by Various

Four grades of delicate pink silesia and two and one-half yards of unbleached muslin for interlining, made an item of fifty cents.

From Social Life or, The Manners and Customs of Polite Society by Cooke, Maud C.

Cloak Buttons In sewing buttons on a cloak or coat an extra strip of canvas or silesia over the canvas interlining should be placed the entire length of the buttoning for strength.

From Textiles and Clothing by Watson, Kate Heintz

At present many people think that if you add oxygen to Silesia you will get oxide of silesia and can take spots out of clothes with it.

From Love Conquers All by Williams, Gluyas

Soon after his father’s death in 1740, Frederick demonstrated his aptitude for warfare when he invaded and won the Austrian province of Silesia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026

First published in 1998, this early gem from Nobel Prize winner Tokarczuk takes place in Silesia, a region of Poland close to the Czech Republic and influenced by its Bohemian culture.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2025

The displaced Poles were in turn resettled in Silesia, a region on the border of Czechoslovakia that had formerly belonged to Germany.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025

It comes after Hodgkinson had ended a 376-day wait to compete for the first time since winning gold at Paris 2024 with a world-leading time in Silesia on Saturday, following a season decimated by injury.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2025

Better yet, he added, allow for a full and unlimited democracy in Upper Silesia.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French