antimacassar

antimacassar
/an'ti meuh kas"euhr/, n.
a small covering, usually ornamental, placed on the backs and arms of upholstered furniture to prevent wear or soiling; a tidy.
[1850-55; ANTI- + MACASSAR (OIL)]

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 protective covering thrown over the back of a chair or the head or cushions of a sofa, named after Macassar, a hair-oil in general use in the 19th century. The original antimacassars were made of stiff white crochet-work, but later soft, coloured materials, such as embroidered wools or silks, were used. In the 20th century the use of antimacassars largely died out.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Antimacassar — An ti*ma*cas sar ([a^]n t[i^]*m[.a]*k[a^]s s[ e]r), n. A cover for the back or arms of a chair or sofa, etc., to prevent them from wear or from being soiled by macassar or other oil from the hair. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • antimacassar — ► NOUN ▪ a piece of cloth put over the back of a chair to protect it from grease and dirt. ORIGIN from ANTI (Cf. ↑anti ) + Macassar, a kind of hair oil formerly used by men, represented as consisting of ingredients from Makassar (the former name… …   English terms dictionary

  • antimacassar — [an΄ti mə kas′ər] n. [ ANTI + macassar (oil), an oil, orig. imported from MACASSAR, used as a hair dressing] a small cover on the back or arms of a chair, sofa, etc. to prevent soiling …   English World dictionary

  • Antimacassar — An antimacassar is a small cloth placed over the backs or arms of chairs, or the head or cushions of a sofa, to prevent soiling of the permanent fabric.The name is attributable to macassar oil, an unguent for the hair commonly used in the early… …   Wikipedia

  • antimacassar — noun /ˌæn.tɪ.məˈkæs.ə,ˌæn.tɪ.məˈkæs.ɚ/ A cover for the back or arms of a chair or sofa, originally to prevent them from being soiled by macassar oil. She was particularly fond of animals, and, besides her canary, whose cage hung on a nail in the… …   Wiktionary

  • antimacassar — [19] An antimacassar was a cloth spread over chairbacks in the 19th and early 20th centuries to protect them from greasy hair. It took its name from Macassar oil, a proprietary brand of hair oil made by Rowland and Son, allegedly from ingredients …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • antimacassar — [19] An antimacassar was a cloth spread over chairbacks in the 19th and early 20th centuries to protect them from greasy hair. It took its name from Macassar oil, a proprietary brand of hair oil made by Rowland and Son, allegedly from ingredients …   Word origins

  • antimacassar — noun Etymology: anti + Macassar (oil) (a hairdressing) Date: 1849 a cover to protect the back or arms of furniture …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • antimacassar — an·ti·ma·cas·sar || ‚æntɪmÉ™ kæsÉ™ n. small protective cover which is placed on the arms or back of a sofa or armchair …   English contemporary dictionary

  • antimacassar — [ˌantɪmə kasə] noun a piece of cloth put over the back of an upholstered chair to protect it from grease and dirt. Origin C19: from anti + Macassar …   English new terms dictionary

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