Burlap
/ˈbɜːr.læp/noun
A coarse, rough fabric made from jute, hemp, or similar fibers, used for sacks and wrapping.
Did you know?The word entered English through trade naming for rough cloth, and its exact origin is uncertain, but it is widely linked to the Dutch and/or Low German word for a coarse fabric, not to any mystical source.
Etymological Timeline
Early Modern English
English
burlap
“A coarse fabric used for sacks and covering”
16th–17th Century
Dutch/Low German
burlap / burrelap (attested trade forms)
“Coarse cloth or rough fabric”
Middle Dutch
Dutch
burle / burlar- (uncertain trade-related forms)
“A rough textile or fabric name in commercial use”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*burl- / *borl- (uncertain)
“No securely established ancestral form”
Modern English
English
burlap
“A coarse woven fabric, especially for sacks”