damask

1 of 2

noun

dam·​ask ˈda-məsk 

1

: a firm lustrous fabric (as of linen, cotton, silk, or rayon) made with flat patterns in a satin weave on a plain-woven ground on jacquard looms

2

: damascus steel

also : the characteristic markings of this steel

3

: a grayish red

damask

2 of 2

adjective

1

: made of or resembling damask

2

: of the color damask

Did you know?

Upon visiting the city of Damascus in 1867, Mark Twain wrote that “To Damascus, years are only moments, decades are only flitting trifles of time. She measures time not by days and months and years, but by the empires she has seen rise and prosper and crumble to ruin. She is a type of immortality.” Indeed, the city’s Arabic name comes from Dimašqa, a word so ancient that it suggests the origins of the city predate recorded history. The Medieval Latin name for the fabric famously associated with the “pearl of the East,” damascus, first entered Middle English as damaske in the 1300s and was later shortened to damask. That term has also been used in the intervening centuries for a type of steel, though neither the fabric nor the steel likely originated there.

Examples of damask in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The latter created three-silk damask fabrics that echoed the work of 16th century painter Titian in 2019. —Sofia Celeste, WWD, 13 June 2024

There is a powerful figure, and the curtains are an oppressive wall of musty damask. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 7 June 2024

Adjective

One of the documents, according to Clarke, includes an inventory of all the fineries that were transferred to Tutbury when Mary left the Earl of Shrewsbury’s charge—a list that includes damask tablecloths and napkins, plates, bowls and basins. —Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, 8 Jan. 2018

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English damaske, from Medieval Latin damascus, from Damascus

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing damask

• damask rose

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Kids Definition

damask

noun

dam·​ask

ˈdam-əsk

1

: a firm shiny reversible fabric used especially for household linen

2

: a tough steel having decorative wavy lines

damask adjective

Etymology

Noun

Middle English damaske "damask," derived from Latin Damascus, city in Syria where the fabrics were originally made