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.

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tarlatan British  

/ ˈtɑːlətən /

noun

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

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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

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

From Time Magazine Archive

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

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 ladies of the ball are attired in simple muslin dresses of the grenadine, the tarlatan, or the tulle kind; but no rule is observed with regard to the cut or shape of their costume.

From The Pearl of the Antilles, or An Artist in Cuba by Goodman, Walter

The recollection of my fall in the dance, of the crying lips of the pretty girl in pink tarlatan, while she stood holding her ruined flounce, became positive agony.

From The Romance of a Plain Man by Glasgow, Ellen Anderson Gholson