noun
chintz
CHINTS/tʃɪnts/
Cotton cloth printed with colorful decorative patterns.
The glazed chintz displays a colorful floral pattern.
Etymology
The ‘bright, variegated’ ancestor points to the fabric’s colorful printed patterns. An English plural ending became fixed in the name, which eventually came to be understood as singular.
In context
luminous with insolence and bestial lust, his legs crossed under him, Kim’s brown rosary round his neck, and a scant yard of worn, flowered chintz on his shoulders.
More examples
- She selected a glossy cotton chintz for the curtains.
- The critic dismissed the hotel's decor as cheap chintz.
- He preferred clean lines to excessive chintz.
Forms
chintz
Similar words
- calico
- Calico is another cotton fabric term; chintz typically has colorful printing and often a glaze.
- cretonne
- Cretonne is a printed furnishing fabric usually lacking chintz's glossy finish.