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sat·in (sătn)
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n.
1.
a. A smooth, often silk fabric that is woven with a glossy face and a dull back.
b. A garment made of this fabric.
2. A kind of paint that dries to a smooth shiny finish.
adj.
1. Made of or covered with satin.
2. Glossy, sleek, and smooth.
[Middle English satyn, zatayn, from Old French satayn, zatin, zettonin, probably ultimately from Arabic ('aṭlas) zaytūnī, (satin) of Zaitun, from Zaytūn, Quanzhou, China (an important international trading center in medieval times), an Arabization (probably influenced by Arabic zaytūn, olive) of Middle Chinese tshz̩ tɦəwŋ, an early name for Quanzhou (also the source of Mandarin Cìtóng (chéng), former name of Quanzhou).]
satin·y (sătn-ē) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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