tussah

[ tuhs-uh ]

/ ˈtʌs ə /

a tan silk from India.Compare Shantung(def 2a).

the silkworm of an oriental moth of the genus Antheraea, as A. mylitta, that produces this silk.

Nearby words

Also tus·ser, tus·sor, tus·sur

[tuhs-er] /ˈtʌs ər/, tus·sore

[tuhs-awr, -ohr] /ˈtʌs ɔr, -oʊr/.

1580–90; earlier tusser < Hindi tasar shuttle < Sanskrit tasara, trasara kind of silkworm

Also called wild silk.

But give 13-year-old Tussah Heera credit: How would you do on national television if you were asked to spell “herniorrhaphy”?
7 Best Moments from the Scripps National Spelling Bee|The Daily Beast Video|May 29, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The China silk was dissolved by this reagent; Tussah silk and the lustra-celluloses entirely resisted its action.
Researches on Cellulose|C. F. Cross
Over this is placed one braid of tussah silk and an outer braid of cotton.
Cyclopedia of Telephony & Telegraphy Vol. 1|Kempster Miller
The silk produced by the wild worms of China and India is called “tussah” (or “tussur”).
Textiles|William H. Dooley

Bengal has furnished the Tussah moth, which lives in India on the oak and a variety of other trees.
Our Common Insects|Alpheus Spring Packard