Fustians

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A coarse fabric traditionally used for making clothing and upholstery, often made from cotton or linen blended with wool or silk
2. Describing a type of fabric characterized by its heavy weight and durability, suitable for garments and durable furnishings
3. Referring to thick cloth that may be made from a blend of fibers, commonly employed in the manufacture of clothing and robust home textiles

Etymology: Fustian is a sturdy cloth, and its name carries a faint suggestion of padding. The fabric was sometimes used to make cushion and pillowcases, and that practical use may be behind the figurative sense "inflated, pompous speech or writing," as if the words were stuffed like a cushion. The same image sits behind "bombast," a word that originally named cotton padding before it came to mean empty grandiloquence. The cloth's name came into English from Old French "fustaine" (modern French "futaine"), which passed from Medieval Latin "fustaneum," probably after a cloth called "fustaneus" or "fustanea." The origin of that Latin word is disputed, so its ultimate source remains unknown. Cognates survive in Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Occitan, all pointing to the same medieval trade in the fabric. Fustian was also a hot drink of alcoholic beverages mixed with egg yolk, lemon and spices, but how that drink connects to the cloth is unclear.