damask

/ˈdæməsk/

Other forms: damasks

Damask is a luxurious, heavy fabric that's often used to upholster furniture. Your grandparents love their new kitten so much that they don't even mind her clawing holes in their damask curtains.

The word damask comes from Damascus, the Syrian city where this kind of fabric was originally made — it literally means "cloth from Damascus." Damask was one of the main styles of weaving during the early Middle Ages, and it has been a popular choice for fancy clothing, table coverings, and home decor ever since. Today some damask is made of synthetic material, but historically it was most often made from silk.

Definitions of damask

1. noun

   a fabric of linen or cotton or silk or wool with a reversible pattern woven into it
   type of:

   cloth, fabric, material, textile

   artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers
2. adjective

   having a woven pattern
   “damask table linens”

   synonyms:

   fancy

   not plain; decorative or ornamented
3. noun

   a table linen made from linen with a damask pattern
   type of:

   napery, table linen

   linens for the dining table