batiste

noun

ba·​tiste bə-ˈtēst How to pronounce batiste (audio)
ba-
: a fine soft sheer fabric of plain weave made of various fibers

Examples of batiste in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Coat of black silk satin brocaded with polychrome silk thread in a pattern of tulips; belt of black silk satin; blouse of white silk-cotton batiste; skirt of beige cotton-linen twill. —Irene Kim, Vogue, 28 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, earlier also baptiste, by hypercorrection from *batisse (associated with the proper name Baptiste, pronounced with cluster simplification as Batiste, Batisse), going back to Middle French (Picard) batiche, probably from bat-, stem of battre "to beat, separate (fiber for felting)" + -iche, Picard cognate of central French -isse, adjective suffix, going back to Old French -ice, feminine of -eiz, iz, going back to Latin -ātīcius, -itīcius — more at battery

First Known Use

1697, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of batiste was in 1697

Dictionary Entries Near batiste

Batista (y Zaldívar)

batiste

batitinan

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Batiste.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/batiste. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

batiste

noun
ba·​tiste bə-ˈtēst How to pronounce batiste (audio)
ba-
: a fine soft sheer fabric of plain weave

More from Merriam-Webster on batiste

Nglish: Translation of batiste for Spanish Speakers

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

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

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

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

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

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

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
sweet smart pug puppy dog sitting in front of blackboard with chalk question marks
Commonly Confused Words Quiz Vol. 3 Do you have a (flare/flair) for choosing the righ...