Organdy

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɔːɡəndi/

Definitions

1. A fine, translucent cloth that is notable for its stiffness and is frequently employed in creating fashionable clothing and ornamental crafts
2. A delicate, airy material characterized by its crispness and used for garments as well as decorative purposes
3. A lightweight, sheer fabric known for its rigidity, often utilized in the production of elegant apparel and decorative items

Etymology: Organdy is a stiff, crisp, transparent cotton fabric, and its name appears to trace back to a city far from the French workshops that gave it the word. The French "organdi" is possibly derived from Urgench, a city in Central Asia in present-day Uzbekistan, which lies along the old trade routes between the Islamic world and Europe. The link is a guess rather than a settled fact, since the word's path from a place name to a textile name is not documented in detail, but the proposal is the one most often offered. Whatever its exact route, the name tells a story of cloth travelling long distances before reaching European markets. Fine, sheer fabrics from the East were prized in Europe, and a French term borrowed from a foreign place name would fit that pattern of trade. The fabric itself is still stiffened with starch, which is what gives it its crisp, springy body rather than the softness of most sheer cloths.

Synonyms: sheer fabric, light fabric