calico
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: calicò
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Calicut, from where the cloth was originally exported, from Malayalam കോഴിക്കോട് (kōḻikkōṭŭ, “Kozhikode”), from കോഴി (kōḻi, “palace”) + കോട് (kōṭŭ, “fortified palace”).
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈkæ.lɪ.kəʊ/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈkæ.lɪ.koʊ/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Noun
calico (countable and uncountable, plural calicos or calicoes)
- (textiles) A kind of rough cloth made from unbleached and not fully processed cotton, often printed with a bright pattern.
- 1832, Michael Faraday, “Experimental Researches in Electricity”, in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, volume 122, , →JSTOR, page 126:
- This helix was covered with calico, and then a second wire applied in the same manner.
- 2017 June 30, Ruth La Ferla, “In ‘The Beguiled,’ Pretty Confections Whipped Up to Seduce”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
- Trussed in corsets, jawbone-high collars and calicos that had seen better days, they have little enough to work with, their attempts at coquetry further constrained by their rigid mores of the day.
- (countable) Ellipsis of calico cat.
- 2022, N. K. Jemisin, The World We Make, Orbit, page 111:
- One of them, a calico whose half-grown kittens he just fed, slow-blinks at him, an affectionate gesture.
- (uncountable, botany) The plant disease caused by Tobacco mosaic virus.
Derived terms
Translations
kind of cloth
|
Adjective
calico (not comparable)
- Made of calico or resembling the color of calico cloth, having a pattern of red and contrasting areas; variegated.
- Synonym: tortoiseshell
- The calico cat had distinctive red and dark markings.
- The calico-patterned tablecloths were supposed to make the restaurant look rustic; instead, they made it look run down.
- 1976, Bob Dylan (lyrics and music), “Sara”, in Desire:
- Sara, oh Sara / Scorpio Sphinx in a calico dress
- Having red, brunette, and blond hair colors, resembling the fur of a calico cat.
Translations
Further reading
Calico (textile) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia - Calico cat on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Anagrams
Etymology
Noun
calico n (uncountable)
Declension
declension of calico (singular only)
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