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tarlatan

American  
[tahr-luh-tn, -tuhn] / ˈtɑr lə tn, -tən /

noun

  1. a thin, plain-weave, open-mesh cotton fabric finished with stiffening agents and sometimes glazed.


tarlatan British  
/ ˈtɑːlətən /

noun

  1. an open-weave cotton fabric, used for stiffening garments

"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

Etymology

Origin of tarlatan

First recorded in 1720–30; from French tarlatane, dissimilated variant of tarnatane kind of cloth originally imported from India; further origin unknown

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:

Isadora Duncan fought for freedom, seemed revolutionary when she appeared in soft Grecian costumes rather than stiffly-starched tarlatan, interpreted music according to her own personal reaction.

From Time Magazine Archive

Later when the Company danced in the bull ring, rain wilted their tarlatan skirts.

From Time Magazine Archive

So out came the tarlatan, looking older, limper, and shabbier than ever beside Sallie’s crisp new one.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

The clothes from the blue-room cupboards represented the fashions for the past fifty years—full-skirted gowns, silk and satin, tarlatan, and bombazine calashes, areophane bonnets, Dolly Varden hats, pelerines, burnouses, shawls, tippets.

From The Weans at Rowallan by Fitzpatrick, Kathleen

In a few moments the lawn beneath the lime trees was glittering with tarlatan, lace, and ribbons, as the juvenile portion of the company followed Mary and her husband to the gate.

From Englefield Grange or Mary Armstrong's Troubles by Paull, H. B.

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