poplin n : a ribbed fabric used in clothing and upholstery

English

Etymology

An alteration (taken as related to Pope) of papeline, a distortion of Poperinge, a town in Flanders which was a centre for textile production.

Pronunciation

/ˈpɒplɪn/

Noun

1. A fabric of many varieties, usually made of silk and worsted, -- used especially for women's dresses.

Synonyms

• bengaline

Poplin, also called tabinet (or tabbinet), is a fabric consisting of a silk warp with a weft of worsted yarn. As the weft is in the form of a stout cord the fabric has a ridged structure, like rep, which gives depth and softness to the lustre of the silky surface. It is made with wool, cotton, silk, rayon, or any mixture of these, though originally made from silk. The ribs run across the fabric from selvage to selvage. Poplins are used for dress purposes, and for rich upholstery work. They are formed by using coarse filling yarns in a plain weave. Shirts made from this material are easy to iron and do not wrinkle easily.

In recent years, Poplin has come to be associated with 100% cotton shirts and it is commonly used for high quality garments. Medical Uniforms almost exclusively use Poly/Cotton blended Poplin fabrics. The term is also frequently used while rendering and is most commonly associated with the construction of wallets.

The term poplin originates from papeline, a fabric made at Avignon, France in the 1400s. The fabric was so named for the papal residence there.