satin

Etymology

From French satin, from Italian setino, probably via unattested Late Latin *sētīnus (“silken [cloth]”), from Latin sētā.^[1] A common folk-etymology derives it instead from Arabic زَيْتُون‎ (zaytūn, “Zayton; olive”),^[2] a calque of Quanzhou's former Chinese nickname 刺桐城 (“Tung Tree City”), after the trees which had been extensively planted there in the 10th century by Liu Congxiao,^[3] but that derivation is unsupported.^[1]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsætɪn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ætɪn

Adjective

satin (not comparable)

1. Semi-glossy. Particularly describing a type of paint.

Noun

satin (countable and uncountable, plural satins)

1. A cloth woven from silk, nylon or polyester with a glossy surface and a dull back. (The same weaving technique applied to cotton produces cloth termed sateen).
   • 1878, Henry Yule, "Chinchew" in the Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th ed., Vol. V, p. 673:

     Ibn Batuta informs us that a rich silk texture made here was called Zaitûniya; and there can be little doubt that this is the real origin of our word Satin,—Zettani in mediæval Italian, Aceytuni in Spanish.

References

Anagrams

• Astin, Insta, Saint, Santi, Sinta, Tanis, Tians, antis, insta-, saint, stain, stian, tians, tisan

Etymology

From English satin, from Old French satin, from Italian setino, probably via unattested Late Latin sētīnus (“silken [cloth]”), from Latin sētā.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: sa‧tin

Noun

satin

1. satin

Noun

satin m (invariable)

1. satin

Anagrams

• santi, stani

Etymology

A contraction of satisne.

Adverb

satin

1. introducing questions

   Satin' hoc plane?

   Is this beyond all doubt?

   Satin' omnia ex sententia?

   Is everything going according to plan?

   Satin' salva sunt omnia?

   Is everything sound?

References

• Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • are you in your right mind: satin (= satisne) sanus es?