Etymologically
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satin

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈsæt.ɪn/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English satyn,[2][3] borrowed from Old French satin, zatanin,[4][2][5][6] probably from Arabic زيتوني (zaytūnī, “of Zaitun”), as in أطلس زيتوني (aṭlas zaytūnī, “satin of Zaitun”),[4][2][5][6][7] from Zaytūn, the Arabic name of a medieval Chinese port usually identified with Quanzhou (Tsinkiang).[4][2][5][8][9] On this theory the French form was influenced by Latin sēta (“silk”)[5] or by Italian setino.[7] The OED found the Arabic link etymologically untenable,[5] and Skeat and Weekley derive the word from sēta, from Latin saeta (“bristle, hair”).[10][11]

Earliest recorded meaning

A silk fabric with a glossy surface on one side (before 1366 in the OED; 1369 in Barnhart).[12][2]

Semantic evolution

Zaitun was described by Marco Polo as one of the great ports of the East in the 13th century,[8][13] and China was long the main source of silk.[14] From the 16th century the name was applied to similar fabrics made wholly or partly of other materials (1517).[12] The adjective, “made of satin; smooth and glossy”, dates from 1449.[2][6] A woman's satin dress could be called a satin (1787),[12] and in 19th-century slang white satin was gin (1845).[12][3] sateen, a cotton satin, is an alteration of the word on the pattern of velveteen.[14]

Timeline

  • c. 1366 – the silk fabric.[12]
  • 1369 – satyn.[2]
  • 1449 – adjective.[2]
  • 1517 – similar fabrics of other fibres.[12]
  • 1787 – a satin dress.[12]
  • 1845 – gin (slang).[12]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A smooth fabric, as of silk, rayon or nylon, woven with a glossy face and a dull back.
  2. A garment made of this fabric.
  3. (slang) Gin.

Adjective

  1. Made of or covered with satin.
  2. Smooth, glossy and sleek, like satin.

Verb

  1. To give a smooth, glossy finish to paper or metal.

Word family

  • satinet
  • satinpod
  • satinwood
  • satiny
  • satin glass
  • satin spar
  • satin stitch
  • sateen
  • silk

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  3. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  4. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  5. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  8. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  9. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  10. ^ Skeat, Walter W. (1911), A Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, new ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  11. ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  13. ^ From Abracadabra to Zeus: Word Histories and Mysteries (2004), Boston: Houghton Mifflin (American Heritage Dictionaries)
  14. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press