taffeta

noun

1. a medium-weight or light-weight fabric of acetate, nylon, rayon, or silk, usually smooth, crisp, and lustrous, plain-woven, and with a fine crosswise rib effect.
2. any of various other fabrics of silk, linen, wool, etc., in use at different periods.

adjective

3. of or resembling taffeta.

noun

1. 1. a crisp lustrous plain-weave silk, rayon, etc, used esp for women’s clothes
   2. (as modifier)a taffeta petticoat
2. any of various similar fabrics

n.late 14c., from Old French taffetas (early 14c.), from Italian taffeta, ultimately from Persian taftah “silk or linen cloth,” noun use of taftah, past participle of taftan “to shine,” also “to twist, spin.” Applied to different fabrics at different times (and cf. tapestry).