Tasar

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A rough, coarse silk cloth woven from the cocoons of wild silkworms ; a small two-person sailing boat raced in competitions
2. Strong, nubby silk fabric produced from the cocoons of uncultivated moths ; a light racing dinghy sailed by a pair of crew
3. Textured silk material spun from wild caterpillar cocoons ; a compact sailboat designed for two people to handle together

Etymology: Tasar is a silk fabric, and its name comes from Hindi and Urdu "tasar" or "tussar", a term for wild silk made from the cocoons of silkworms such as Antheraea mylitta and related moths that feed on trees like the oak and asan rather than on mulberry leaves. Those cocoons are wild, so the silk is coarser and more golden-brown than cultivated silk, and it has long been woven in eastern India. The word reached English through the trade that carried Indian textiles to Europe. In English it has been used both for the raw silk thread and for the woven cloth made from it, and the fabric is still valued for its natural sheen and slightly rough texture.

Synonyms: tussah, tussore