delaine
(dɪˈleɪn)
[Short for muslin delaine, F. mousseline de laine lit. ‘woollen muslin’, so called as being a woollen tissue of great thinness or fineness.]
Originally called in full mousseline-delaine or muslin-de-laine: A kind of light textile fabric, chiefly used for women's dresses; originally made of wool, now more commonly of wool and cotton, and generally printed.
| α 1840 Thackeray Shabby-genteel Story iii. Dressed in a sweet yellow mousseline de laine. 1862 Lond. Rev. 26 July 87 These were muslin-de-laines..made with a cotton weft and a woollen warp. |
| β 1849 Glasgow Exam. 23 June 3/1 A lot of beautiful De Laine dresses. 1860 O. W. Holmes Elsie V. (1887) 78 The poor old green de-laine. 1891 Leeds Mercury 25 May 5/2 Pretty gowns of black delaine figured with coloured flower sprays. |