percale

per·cale

P0181700 (pər-kāl′)n. A closely woven cotton fabric used for sheets and clothing.

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[French, probably from obsolete English percalla, ultimately (probably via Urdu) from Persian pargāla, a piece of cloth, probably variant of pargāra, a circle drawn with a pair of compasses, a bit, a piece of cloth, worldly goods, from parkār, parkāl, pargāl, a pair of compasses : perhaps Old Iranian parā, forth, off, away; see per in Indo-European roots + kar-, variant of karš-, to draw, drag (probably akin to Latin colere, to till; see cultivate).]

percale

(pəˈkeɪl; -ˈkɑːl) n (Textiles) a close-textured woven cotton fabric, plain or printed, used esp for sheets[C17: via French from Persian pargālah piece of cloth]

per•cale

(pərˈkeɪl)

n. a smooth, plain-weave cotton cloth, used esp. for bedsheets. [1615–25; < French < Persian pargāla rag; replacing percalla < Persian]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

percale - a fine closely woven cotton fabric cloth, fabric, textile, material - artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers; "the fabric in the curtains was light and semitransparent"; "woven cloth originated in Mesopotamia around 5000 BC"; "she measured off enough material for a dress"

Translations

percalpercale