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nankeen

[ nan-keen ]

noun

  1. a firm, durable, yellow or buff fabric, formerly made from a natural-colored Chinese cotton.
  2. a twilled material made from other cotton and dyed in imitation of this fabric.
  3. nankeens, garments made of this material.
  4. a yellow or buff color.
  5. Also called Nankeen porcelain,. a type of Chinese porcelain having blue ornament on a white ground.


nankeen

/ ˈnænkɪn; næŋˈkiːn /

noun

  1. a hard-wearing buff-coloured cotton fabric
    1. a pale greyish-yellow colour
    2. ( as adjective )

      a nankeen carpet

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of nankeen1

1745–55; after Nankin Nanking, where first made
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Word History and Origins

Origin of nankeen1

C18: named after Nanking, China, where it originated
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Example Sentences

The service very smart: six men-servants, chestnut livery in winter, nankeen livery in summer.

He was a tall, spare man, dressed in nankeen jacket and trousers, with a large-brimmed straw-hat upon his head.

The Nankeen coloured and the black are the greatest favourites.

His nankeen trousers were freshly pressed, and his blue frock-coat looked as if it had come straight from the tailor.

She also saw with surprise that his nankeen trousers were stained, as if he had been kneeling on damp ground.

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Nanjingnankeen lily