fustian
[ fuhs-chuhn ]
/ ˈfʌs tʃən /
noun
a stout fabric of cotton and flax.
a fabric of stout twilled cotton or of cotton and low-quality wool, with a short nap or pile.
inflated or turgid language in writing or speaking: Fustian can't disguise the author's meager plot.
adjective
made of fustian: a fustian coat; fustian bed linen.
pompous or bombastic, as language: fustian melodrama.
worthless; cheap: fustian knaves and dupes.
Origin of fustian
1150–1200; Middle English < Old French
fustaigne < Medieval Latin
fūstāneum, perhaps a derivative of Latin
fūstis stick, cudgel (Late Latin: trunk; cf.
fusty), if a translation of Latin
xylinus, Greek (Septuagint)
xýlina lína cotton, literally, linen from wood;
Fostat, a suburb of Cairo, has also been proposed as the source of
fūstāneum
Words nearby fustian
fussbudget,
fusspot,
fussy,
fustanella,
fustet,
fustian,
fustic,
fustigate,
fustinella,
fusty,
fusula
Example sentences from the Web for fustian
British Dictionary definitions for fustian
fustian
/ (ˈfʌstɪən) /
noun
- a hard-wearing fabric of cotton mixed with flax or wool with a slight nap
- (as modifier)a fustian jacket
pompous or pretentious talk or writing
adjective
cheap; worthless
pompous; bombastic
Word Origin for fustian
C12: from Old French
fustaigne, from Medieval Latin
fustāneum, from Latin
fustis cudgel