tussah

noun

tus·sah ˈtə-sə

-ˌsȯ

variants or tussore

ˈtə-ˌsȯr

: silk or silk fabric from the brownish fiber produced by larvae of some saturniid moths (such as Antheraea paphia)

Word History

Etymology

Hindi & Urdu tasar

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of tussah was in 1590

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Entries

tusky

tussah

tussie-mussie

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Tussah.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tussah. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

'Canceled' or 'cancelled'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Popular in Wordplay

'In Vino Veritas' and Other Latin Phrases to Live By

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Popular Features

tussah

noun

Word History

Browse Nearby Entries

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

draconian

Popular in Grammar & Usage