p. 11 | THE ORIGIN OF NAMES

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jun 1, 1904

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 30, No. 22.

THE ORIGIN OF NAMES.

The names of fabrics are often derived from the place where they were first manufactured; or the name is given in honor of the place where it first became known to commerce, or from the materials composing its texture. Muslin is derived from Mosul, in Asia; cambric from Cambrai; gauze from Gaza; baize from Bajac; dimity from Damietta; and jeans from Jean; damask is an abbreviation of Damascus; satin is a corruption of Zaytown, in China.

Velvet is the Italian "vellute," woolly, and is traceable farther back to the Latin "vellus," a hide or pelt; serge comes from "xerga," the Spanish for a certain sort of blanket; bandanna is derived from an Indian word signifying to bind or tie; alpaca is the name of a species of llama from whose wool the genuine fabric is woven; and calico is named for Calicut, a town in India, where it was first printed.

Shawl is from the Sanskrit "sala," which means floor, shawls having been first used as carpet tapestry.

Blanket bears the name of Thomas Blanket, a famous English clothier, who aided the introduction of woolens into England in the fourteenth century. —Chicago News.