Definition

Noun: 1. A lightweight cotton cloth with a smooth and slightly stiff finish: A plain-woven, soft cotton fabric that is often glazed or calendered to achieve a smooth, polished surface and a subtle crispness. It is finer and lighter than typical calico or muslin.

Usage

• General Use: Jaconet is primarily used for making lightweight garments, linings, and undergarments due to its softness and durability.
• Specialized Use: Its smooth, non-fibrous surface makes it suitable for surgical bandages and other medical applications.
  • The dress was lined with soft jaconet for comfort.
  • Historical medical kits often contained rolls of sterilized jaconet for dressing wounds.

Advanced Usage

• Historical/Textile Context: In historical textile trade, "jaconet" specifically referred to a high-quality, fine cotton cloth originating from India, often used as a base fabric for chintz or printing.
  • The 19th-century merchant imported bales of jaconet from Bengal for the European market.

Variants and Related Words

• Jaconette: An alternative, less common spelling for the same fabric.
• Muslin: A broader category of plain-woven cotton fabric, which can be similar but is often less finished or stiffened than jaconet.
• Cambric: A fine, closely woven linen or cotton fabric, similar in lightness and smoothness to jaconet.

Synonyms

• Lightweight cotton
• Glazed cotton (when referring to its finished, smooth surface)

Notes on Meaning

This word is now considered somewhat archaic or highly specialized. In modern contexts, specific fabric names like "batiste" or "lawn" are more commonly used for similar lightweight cotton fabrics in fashion, while "medical gauze" or "bandage cloth" is used in healthcare.

Noun

1. a lightweight cotton cloth with a smooth and slightly stiff finish; used for clothing and bandages