muslinn.adj.
/ˈmʌzlᵻn/, U.S. /ˈməzl(ə)n/ A. n.
I. A type of fabric.† 2. U.S. Strong cotton cloth of a plain weave; an item made of this. Obsolete.
1. † b. muslin-de-laine n. Obsolete = mousseline de laine n.
a. Any of various lightweight cotton fabrics in a plain weave. Also: a piece of such fabric; a dress or other article of clothing made of muslin.Quot. 1625 refers to a light silk fabric; cf. mousseline de soie n.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > cotton > [noun] > fine, light, or delicate > muslin
mosal1600
muslin1609
mamudi1653
muslin calico1705
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [noun] > dress, robe, or gown > types of > made of specific material
farandine1672
tabby1726
satin1730
lutestring1756
silk1793
muslinc1794
zephyrine1820
merino1839
mousseline1847
moire1851
velvet1851
tarlatan1852
velveteen1873
tussore1884
paper dress1886
Gloria1895
Tibet1900
tub-dress1909
tub-frock1909
1609 W. Biddulph Trauels Certaine Englishmen 43 A little towne called Muscla, from whence the inhabitants..bring a kinde of linnen cloath called Muslina to Aleppo.
1625 S. Purchas Pilgrimes III. i. 70 All the cloathes of Gold and of Silke called Mossulines are wrought in Moxul.
1682 True Protestant Mercury No. 110. 2/2 One Lac'd Cravat of Muzlin.
1706 London Gaz. No. 4269/4 7 Pieces of strip'd Muslings, and one Piece of plain.
1787 Town & Country Mag. May in S. Rosenfeld Temples of Thespis (1978) iii. 39 [She put on] a plain white muslin, diamond flowers in festoons and diamond girdles.
c1794 Search after Perfection ii. iv, in New Brit. Theatre (1814) III. 54 O mercy on us, if they have not cut to pieces my mistress's new gold muslin.
1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) ii. 14 She insisted upon Rebecca accepting..a sweet sprigged muslin, which was too small for her now.
1849 C. Lyell 2nd Visit U.S. (1850) II. 332 Embroidered muslin, of the finest and costliest kind, is much worn.
1860 G. A. Sala Baddington Peerage I. xv 268 The niece of Manuel Harispe disdained to answer, but with an indignant flutter of her muslins, brushed past her uncle and out of the room.
1882 M. E. Braddon Mt. Royal II. iv. 53 Inside the tapestry there was a screen of soft muslin.
1923 ‘R. Crompton’ William Again x. 167 There was also a simple maiden in sky-blue muslin.
1955 E. Ostick Draper's Encycl. 47 Muslin is a very light, open-textured, plain-woven fabric suitable for children's and women's summer dresses.
2003 L. Keir et al. Med. Assisting xi. 283/1 Provided with several items, to be autoclaved or sterilized, the student will wrap each in autoclave paper or muslin, in preparation for the sterilization process.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > made from mixed fibres > [noun] > cotton and wool
moreena1691
satinette1723
jeanette1785
gambroon1812
cassinette1817
merino1818
lustre1831
Russell cord1834
domett1835
mousseline de laine1835
moreen-damask1837
delaine1840
Orleans1844
kerseynette1846
balzarine1849
muslin-de-laine1856
Verona serge1858
president1860
Persian cord1873
moreen silk1889
niggerhead1892
Viyella1894
Verona1904
Panama1907
Parisian cloth1960
1856 J. M. Morton Done on Both Sides (front matter) Fancy pattern muslin de laine gown, cap, brown holland apron and sleeves, small shawl.
1862 London Rev. & Weekly Jrnl. 26 July 87 These were muslin-de-laines..made with a cotton weft and a woollen warp.
c. A hemmed double square of muslin, esp. used to wipe up regurgitated milk when feeding or winding a baby.In North America the more usual term is burp cloth.
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1994 Church Times 12 Aug. 15/1 Your television critic for August is a nursing mother: please imagine me with a baby in one hand..and a cup of tea, a muslin, and a remote-control panel within easy reach.
2007 H. Brown Parenting for Dummies vii. 86 Use a muslin. Before you start, tuck a muslin cloth under your baby's chin and open it out over her front. Once she's latched on, pull the muslin over to cover your modesty, too.
2010 C. Nolan Mum to Mum i. 20 Muslins—lightweight and perfect for feeding and burping. Also good for dealing with snot and poo.
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1790 A. Hamilton in Debates Congr. U.S. (1849) App. 1000 Great quantities of..jeans and muslins..are made in the household way.
1830 S. H. Collins Emigrant's Guide 176 Calico is called muslin, and prints are called calicoes here.
1857 in C. Brontë Professor (U.S. ed.) (advt.) The Professor. By Currer Bell (Charlotte Bronté). 12 mo, Paper, 60 cents; Muslin, 75 cents... Published by Harper & Brothers,..N.Y.
1872 M. S. De Vere Americanisms 71 A story is told of a gentleman in Philadelphia, who ordered muslin shirts in Boston, and although reminded of the unsuitableness of that material..insisted upon his order, as he had always worn muslin, meaning cotton-shirting.
1887 I. Alden Little Fishes vi Unbleached muslin makes about as pretty a curtain as a body could have.
1899 Baedeker's U.S. p. xxx Muslin, cotton cloth.
3. Nautical slang. Sailcloth; sails collectively. Cf. canvas n. 3. Now rare.
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society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > masts, rigging, or sails > sail > [noun] > collectively
sailc1385
canvas1609
linensa1640
cloth1651
white wings1778
clothing1798
muslin1822
sailage1889
1822 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 11 429 She shewed as little muslin as the weather required.
1847 H. Melville Omoo lxxvii. 296 Away they sailed..and under all the ‘muslin’ they could carry.
1894 Outing 24 295/2 When we got that fair wind we piled the muslin on her.
1926 H. A. Tripp Suffolk Sea Borders 40 Surprised in a small vessel by some heavily armed revenue cutter, they might ‘clap on Jackson’, crowding every inch of ‘muslin’ to make good their escape.
1929 F. C. Bowen Sea Slang 93 Muslin, the lighter sails.
II. Extended uses.
4. Short for muslin moth n. at Compounds.
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the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > Heterocera > [noun] > family Arctiidae > diaphora mendica (muslin moth)
muslin1819
muslin moth1830
1819 G. Samouelle Entomologist's Compend. 248 Arctia mendica (muslin).
1869 E. Newman Illustr. Nat. Hist. Brit. Moths 27 The Round-winged Muslin (Nudaria Senex).
1869 E. Newman Illustr. Nat. Hist. Brit. Moths 27 The Muslin Nudaria mundana.
1961 R. South Moths Brit. Isles II. 57 The Muslin Moth... The early British authors knew this moth as the ‘Spotted Muslin’ or ‘Seven Spot Ermine’.
5. slang. Women collectively. Esp. in a bit (also bundle) of muslin: a woman. Cf. skirt n. 1b. Now rare.
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the world > people > person > woman > [noun]
wifeeOE
womaneOE
womanOE
queanOE
brideOE
viragoc1000
to wifeOE
burdc1225
ladyc1225
carlinec1375
stotc1386
marec1387
pigsneyc1390
fellowa1393
piecec1400
femalea1425
goddessa1450
fairc1450
womankindc1450
fellowessa1500
femininea1513
tega1529
sister?1532
minikinc1540
wyec1540
placket1547
pig's eye1553
hen?1555
ware1558
pussy?a1560
jade1560
feme1566
gentlewoman1567
mort1567
pinnacea1568
jug1569
rowen1575
tarleather1575
mumps1576
skirt1578
piga1586
rib?1590
puppy1592
smock1592
maness1594
sloy1596
Madonna1602
moll1604
periwinkle1604
Partlet1607
rib of man1609
womanship?1609
modicum1611
Gypsy1612
petticoata1616
runniona1616
birda1627
lucky1629
she-man1640
her1646
lost rib1647
uptails1671
cow1696
tittup1696
cummer17..
wife1702
she-woman1703
person1704
molly1706
fusby1707
goody1708
riding hood1718
birdie1720
faggot1722
piece of goods1727
woman body1771
she-male1776
biddy1785
bitch1785
covess1789
gin1790
pintail1792
buer1807
femme1814
bibi1816
Judy1819
a bit (also bundle) of muslin1823
wifie1823
craft1829
shickster?1834
heifer1835
mot1837
tit1837
Sitt1838
strap1842
hay-bag1851
bint1855
popsy1855
tart1864
woman's woman1868
to deliver the goods1870
chapess1871
Dona1874
girl1878
ladykind1878
mivvy1881
dudess1883
dudette1883
dudine1883
tid1888
totty1890
tootsy1895
floozy1899
dame1902
jane1906
Tom1906
frail1908
bit of stuff1909
quim1909
babe1911
broad1914
muff1914
manhole1916
number1919
rossie1922
bit1923
man's woman1928
scupper1935
split1935
rye mort1936
totsy1938
leg1939
skinny1941
Richard1950
potato1957
scow1960
wimmin1975
womyn1975
womxn1991
the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > pleasing appearance > [noun] > prettiness > specifically of woman > pretty girl or woman
primerolea1350
jolyvet1413
prim1509
nicebeceturc1520
bit of stuff?1553
nicebice1595
dabchick1612
rosebud1668
doll1778
living doll1785
a bit (also bundle) of muslin1823
a bit (also piece) of all right1895
bit of fluff1903
dolly1906
baby doll1908
cutiea1911
cutie-pie1920
kewpie1946
tchotchke1968
tchotchkeleh1985
the world > people > person > woman > [noun] > women collectively
wifkinOE
womanOE
womankinc1175
womankindc1175
womenkina1387
womenkinda1387
womanhoodc1405
feminityc1425
femininityc1450
femininec1451
the fair (also gentle, soft, weak, etc.) sex1536
the second sex1536
the woman sex1536
feminie1541
mesdames1552
the fairer (also gentler, softer, weaker, etc.) sex1578
sex1589
ladyhooda1666
fair1687
wimmin1710
womenfolk1729
mesdemoiselles1739
the female of the species1795
femalitiesc1801
ladykind1829
womanity1836
womandom1838
ladydom1843
petticoatery1849
tea-body1865
muslin1884
the skirt1899
quim1909
womyn1975
womxn1991
1823 W. T. Moncrieff Tom & Jerry i. i You've got a bit of muslin on the sly, have you?
1850 W. M. Thackeray Pendennis II. xii. 114 That was a pretty bit of muslin hanging on your arm—who was she?
1884 H. Smart From Post to Finish (1885) xvii. 128 Keep clear of muslin for the next six or seven years. It's brought as many of your profession to grief as spirits.
1904 ‘O. Henry’ Cabbages & Kings 14 His Nibs skedaddled..with..the bundle of muslin he's spoony about.
1924 Truth (Sydney) 27 Apr. 6 Muslin, bit of, a woman.
B. adj.
Made of muslin.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > cotton > [adjective] > fine, light, or delicate > muslin
muslin1684
1684 A. Symson in W. Macfarlane Geogr. Coll. Scotl. (1907) II. 87 It is an excellent place for whitening or bleeching of Linnen, holland and Muzlin Webbs.
1704 London Gaz. No. 3981/4 A fine new Flourish'd Muslin Apron.
1721 N. Amhurst Terræ-filius (1754) No. 46. 247 With..long muslin neckcloths run with red at the bottom.
1820 Sat. Evening Post 20 July 2/2 Walking Dress.—Anglo Greek dress of fine India muslin over lilac sarcenet, with white muslin sleeves.
1880 ‘Ouida’ Moths I. 33 She rose, shook her muslin breakfast-wrapper about her impatiently.
1890 H. James Tragic Muse I. ix. 192 The muslin curtains behind the glazed front.
1949 Sear's Catal. (ed. 198) 470 We found dozens of ways to save money with muslin yardage!
1955 A. West Heritage iv. 178 A huge flock of starlings, floating through the air like an enormous muslin veil, passed overhead.
1987 C. Thubron Behind Wall i. 21 Their clothes were assertively bright..and the girls' hair a mass of muslin ribbons.
2010 A. M. David & K. Wahl in I. Gammel & B. Lefebvre Anne's World ii. 35 Her muslin dress, which includes a high Edwardian collar, a pearl necklace, bishop sleeves, and a scarf dubbed a ‘Vandyke bertha’, is at the height of fashion.
Compounds
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1705 London Gaz. No. 4146/4 Muslin Callicoes 131 Pieces.
muslin glass n. = mousseline n. 2.
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1837 Pigot & Co.'s National Commerc. Dir. Sc. (advt.) Claudet & Houghton's plain and ornamental window glass warehouse... Muslin glass, with opaque and transparent designs.
1860 Harper's Mag. Feb. 356 I go into that magazine and admire the delicate beauty of the muslin glass of Bohemia.
1938 J. A. Fleming Sc. & Jacobite Glass vi. 66 Muslin glass has nothing in common with the textile of that name... Grace and simplicity of line are the characteristics of this Muslin glass which matched Wedgwood's vases.
2000 L. Jackson 20th Cent. Factory Glass 127/1 Hoffmann also designed some finely blown tableware, known as muslin glass because it was so thin.
muslin grounds n. rare a kind of gingham (see quot. 1882).
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1882 S. F. A. Caulfeild & B. C. Saward Dict. Needlework 352/2 Muslin Grounds..is a description of Gingham.
muslin kale n. [perhaps in allusion to its thinness] Scottish broth made from water, shelled barley, and vegetables, without any meat stock.
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1786 R. Burns Poems 76 I'll sit down o'er my scanty meal, Be't water-brose, or muslin-kail, Wi' cheerfu' face.
1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. Barefoot-broth, Barefit-kail, Broth made with a little butter, without any meat having been boiled in it;..also denominated Muslin-kail, Lentrin-kail, and more literally Fleshless-kail.
1887 W. Philip Covedale x Slave wi their noses i the yird for a sup muslin kale or a cloot o brose.
muslin moth n. any of various moths with semi-transparent wings; spec. a small dimorphic European moth, Diaphora mendica (family Arctiidae), the male of which is usually blackish and the female white with black spots.
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the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > Heterocera > [noun] > family Arctiidae > diaphora mendica (muslin moth)
muslin1819
muslin moth1830
1830 J. Rennie Insect Transformations iii. xiii. 314 Mr. Jones of Chelsea, in one of his excursions, caught a female of the spotted muslin moth (Diaphora mendica, Stephens).
1903 W. F. Kirby European Butterflies & Moths Pl. xxv Spilosoma Mendica—Spotted Muslin Moth.
1967 E. B. Ford Moths (ed. 2) xi. 163 The Muslin Moth, Cycnia mendica..is an interglacial relict in Ireland.
1984 B. Skinner Colour Identification Guide Moths Brit. Isles 82/2 Muslin Moth... Generally distributed throughout the British Isles.
2009 C. Manley Brit. Moths & Butterflies (rev. ed.) 190/2 Muslin moth Diaphora mendica... Common. May–Jun. Grey male is most often seen.
muslin square n. a square of muslin cloth; later esp. (a) a cloth used to wipe up regurgitated milk when feeding or winding a baby (cf. sense A. 1c); (b) a square of muslin used in quilting.In sense (a) not in use in North America.
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1809 Westm. Jrnl. 15–22 Apr. 1/5 A piece of muslin squares, and several other articles, had disappeared.
1878 D. H. Agnew Princ. & Pract. Surg. I. ix. 706 The basis upon which this system of bandages rests is the handkerchief or the muslin square.
1880 Kingston (Jamaica) Gleaner 27 July (advt.) Ladies' Linen Cuffs and Collars..Muslin Squares Maltese Lace [etc.].
1921 Successful Farming Dec. 70/2 A delightful quilt for a young child's room is made of unbleached muslin squares bordered with turkey red calico.
1952 Irish Times 19 Mar. 1/6 (advt.) A typical Layette:..Muslin Squares, 30″ x 30″, per dozen.
1974 S. McKain Great Noank Quilt Factory 68 Traditionally, several strips of fabric varying in width from 1 ½″ to 3″, are sewn diagonally across a 10″ muslin square.
2014 Evening Gaz. (Nexis) 3 June 28 Muslin squares,.. great for breastfeeding mums to mop up spills, wipe baby's face, and protect clothing while burping baby.
muslin wheel n. now historical = mule n.1 5a.
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1830 J. Kennedy in Mem. Literary & Philos. Soc. Manch. (1831) 2nd Ser. 5 325 Crompton's machine was called the..muslin wheel, because its capabilities were [sic] rendered it available for yarn for making muslins.
1910 Encycl. Brit. VII. 486/2 About 1779 he [sc. Samuel Crompton] succeeded in producing a machine which span yarn suitable for use in the manufacture of muslin, and which was known as the muslin wheel..and later as the spinning mule.
1992 Jrnl. Econ. Hist. 52 889 Public subscriptions rewarded..Crompton for the invention of the ‘muslin wheel’, or mule.
2012 A. Zimmerman Alabama in Afr. i. 25 A ‘mule’..that could spin a much finer thread than the water frame..was sometimes called the ‘muslin wheel’, since it could spin threads fine enough for that delicate fabric.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.adj.1609