satin English · revision 1537

+ {{infobox|confidence=disputed|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1366}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈsæt.ɪn/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|satyn]],^(Barnhart 1995)^(RHWU) [[bor|fro|satin]], [[m|fro|zatanin]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) probably from [[ar|زيتوني|tr=zaytūnī|t=of Zaitun]], as in [[m|ar|أطلس زيتوني|tr=aṭlas zaytūnī|t=satin of Zaitun]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(Klein 1966) from Zaytūn, the Arabic name of a medieval Chinese port usually identified with Quanzhou (Tsinkiang).^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)^(Hoad 1986) On this theory the French form was influenced by [[la|sēta|t=silk]]^(Etymonline) or by [[it|setino]].^(Klein 1966) The OED found the Arabic link etymologically untenable,^(Etymonline) and Skeat and Weekley derive the word from ''sēta'', from Latin [[m|la|saeta|t=bristle, hair]].^(Skeat 1911)^(Weekley 1921)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A silk fabric with a glossy surface on one side (before 1366 in the OED; 1369 in Barnhart).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Zaitun was described by Marco Polo as one of the great ports of the East in the 13th century,^(MWU 2024)^(Abracadabra 2004) and China was long the main source of silk.^(Cresswell 2021) From the 16th century the name was applied to similar fabrics made wholly or partly of other materials (1517).^(OED 1989) The adjective, “made of satin; smooth and glossy”, dates from 1449.^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate) A woman's satin dress could be called a ''satin'' (1787),^(OED 1989) and in 19th-century slang ''white satin'' was gin (1845).^(OED 1989)^(RHWU) [[sateen]], a cotton satin, is an alteration of the word on the pattern of [[velveteen]].^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1366 – the silk fabric.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1369 – ''satyn''.^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1449 – adjective.^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1517 – similar fabrics of other fibres.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1787 – a satin dress.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1845 – gin (slang).^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A smooth fabric, as of [[silk]], [[rayon]] or [[nylon]], woven with a glossy face and a dull back.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A garment made of this fabric.^(AHD)^(RHWU)

+ # ''(slang)'' [[gin|alt=Gin]].^(OED 1989)^(RHWU)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Made of or covered with satin.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)

+ # Smooth, glossy and sleek, like satin.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To give a smooth, glossy finish to paper or metal.^(OED 1989)^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[satinet]]

+ * [[satinpod]]

+ * [[satinwood]]

+ * [[satiny]]

+ * [[satin glass]]

+ * [[satin spar]]

+ * [[satin stitch]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[sateen]]

+ * [[silk]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}