Baize
/beɪz/noun
A coarse, usually green woolen fabric with a napped surface, used for table coverings and curtains.
Did you know?Baize ultimately comes from a chain of Romance and Celtic borrowing, and its name moved through the same medieval textile networks that spread prestige cloth terms across Europe.
Etymological Timeline
Late Middle English
English
baise
“A coarse woolen cloth, often green or reddish-brown, used for coverings.”
16th Century
French
baie
“A kind of coarse woolen cloth.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
badius
“Chestnut-colored, bay-colored.”
Proto-Celtic
Celtic
*badios
“Brown, chestnut-colored.”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰād-
“Brownish, dull-colored.”