Muslin
/ˈmʌzlɪn/noun
A lightweight plain-woven cotton fabric.
Did you know?Muslin is named after Mosul in present-day Iraq, a major textile center that helped send the fabric’s name into European languages through trade, not magic.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient/Medieval Arabic
Arabic
موصليّ (mawṣilī)
“of Mosul; from the city of Mosul”
Medieval Italian
Italian
mosolino
“a fine textile from Mosul”
15th–16th Century
French
mousseline
“a thin, sheer fabric”
16th Century
English
muslin
“a fine cotton cloth, especially imported from the East”
Modern English
English
muslin
“lightweight plain-woven cotton fabric”