tarlatan

American

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

noun

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

tarlatan British

/ ˈtɑːlətən /

noun

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.

Our Aunt Esta turned my Father into a Pink Silk Fairy with White Tarlatan Wings because he was able to say the Alphabet backwards in three minutes!

From Fairy Prince and Other Stories by Abbott, Eleanor Hallowell

Tarlatan fit for the purpose may be purchased at the draper's.

From Enquire Within Upon Everything The Great Victorian Domestic Standby by Anonymous

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023