Sarcenet
/ˈsɑːr.sə.nɛt/noun
A very fine, soft silk fabric, formerly used for clothing and linings.
Did you know?Sarcenet entered English through Old French from a medieval Latin form tied to Persian silk trade vocabulary, showing how luxury goods could literally drag their names across continents.
Etymological Timeline
Medieval Persian/Arabic trade sphere
Persian/Arabic
unknown source form
“A trade term associated with fine silk cloth”
Medieval Latin
Latin
saracenum / sarcenum
“A kind of fine silk fabric, associated with the East”
Old French
Old French
sarcenet
“Fine thin silk fabric”
14th–15th Century
English
sarcenet
“A delicate silk stuff used for garments and linings”
Modern English
English
sarcenet
“A fine, soft silk fabric”
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