Rotin
/ˈrəʊtɪn/noun
A type of rattan or cane used for making furniture and other woven objects.
Did you know?English “rotin” entered through French, whose rotin was borrowed from Malay rotan, the source of the more familiar word “rattan.”
Etymological Timeline
Pre-modern Southeast Asia
Malay
rotan
“Rattan, a climbing palm whose canes were used for weaving and construction”
16th–17th Century
European travel usage
rotan
“A Southeast Asian cane encountered through trade and exploration”
17th Century
French
rotin
“Rattan or cane imported for manufacture”
18th Century
English
rotin
“A cane or rattan material, especially for furniture and wickerwork”
Modern English
English
rotin
“A chiefly specialized term for rattan or rattan cane”