damask

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈdæm.əsk/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English damaske,^[2][3] from Medieval Latin damascus,^[4][2][5] from the name of Latin Damascus,^{[3][4][6][2][5]} the city in Syria famous for its steel and silk fabrics,^[4][5] from Greek Damaskós.^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The city of Damascus (about 1250).^[7][4][6]

Semantic evolution

As the name of a fabric, “cloth from Damascus”, the word dates from the late 14th century.^[6][4] It was used of Damascus steel and its wavy pattern^[3][2][5] and, from the damask rose, of a pink colour (about 1600).^[6][5] The verb meaning to weave with rich patterns is from 1599.^[7]

Timeline

• about 1250 – Damascus.^[7][4][6]
• 1378 – a richly patterned silk.^[4][6]
• about 1540 – damask rose.^[7]
• 1585 – verb, to damascene.^[7]
• about 1600 – a pink colour.^[6]
• 1640s – adjective, woven with figures.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A rich reversible fabric of silk, linen, cotton or wool, woven with patterns.
2. Fine twilled table linen.
3. Damascus steel, or the wavy pattern on it.
4. A greyish-pink or grey-red colour, like that of the damask rose.

Verb

1. To decorate metal in the Damascus style; to damascene.
2. To weave or adorn with rich patterns.

Adjective

1. Made of or like damask.
2. Of the colour damask.

Word family

• damascene
• damask rose

Related words

• damson

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
3. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
5. ^ a b c d e Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press