percale [per-keyl] ExamplesWord Origin noun
- a closely woven, smooth-finished, plain or printed cotton cloth, used for bed sheets, clothing, etc.
Origin of percale 1615–25; French Persian pargāla rag; replacing percalla Persian Examples from the Web for percale Historical Examples of percale
Myra smoothed her hair and put on a fresh afternoon percale.
The Best Short Stories of 1919
Various
Bloomers can also be made from gingham, percale, galatea, or other cotton cloth.
Helen Kinne
Two dressing-gowns, one in percale, the other in striped silk, six roubles.
Alexander Pushkin
Fold the percale through the center, with the woof, and baste the edges together.
Idabelle McGlauflin
She wore a percale gown, ecru ground with bright figures, a rose-colored cravat and a bonnet laden with flowers.
Emile Zola
British Dictionary definitions for percale percale noun
- a close-textured woven cotton fabric, plain or printed, used esp for sheets
Word Origin for percale C17: via French from Persian pargālah piece of cloth Word Origin and History for percale n.
1620s, name of a fabric imported from the East; in modern use, 1840, from French percale, perhaps ultimately from Persian pargalah “a rag.”