Chiffon
/ʃɪˈfɒn/noun
A lightweight, sheer fabric made of silk, nylon, or another synthetic fiber.
Did you know?Chiffon entered English from French, where it originally meant a rag or scrap of cloth, a reminder that luxury words often begin in the most ordinary places.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skei-
“to cut, split”
Old English
OE
scift
“a division, part; later related forms developed senses of shifting or changing”
Old French
OF
chiffon
“a rag, scrap of cloth”
18th Century
French
chiffon
“a light, soft fabric; also a rag or bit of cloth”
Late 18th Century
English
chiffon
“a fine, sheer fabric”