tussah

[ tuhs-uh ]

/ ˈtʌs ə /

a tan silk from India. Compare Shantung(def 2a).

the silkworm of an oriental moth of the genus Antheraea, as A. mylitta, that produces this silk.

Also tus·ser, tus·sor, tus·sur

[tuhs-er] /ˈtʌs ər/, tus·sore

[tuhs-awr, -ohr] /ˈtʌs ɔr, -oʊr/.

Also called wild silk.

Origin of tussah

1580–90; earlier tusser < Hindi tasar shuttle < Sanskrit tasara, trasara kind of silkworm

But give 13-year-old Tussah Heera credit: How would you do on national television if you were asked to spell “herniorrhaphy”?

7 Best Moments from the Scripps National Spelling Bee |The Daily Beast Video |May 29, 2009 |DAILY BEAST
The China silk was dissolved by this reagent; Tussah silk and the lustra-celluloses entirely resisted its action.

Researches on Cellulose |C. F. Cross
Over this is placed one braid of tussah silk and an outer braid of cotton.

Cyclopedia of Telephony & Telegraphy Vol. 1 |Kempster Miller
The silk produced by the wild worms of China and India is called “tussah” (or “tussur”).

Textiles |William H. Dooley

Bengal has furnished the Tussah moth, which lives in India on the oak and a variety of other trees.

Our Common Insects |Alpheus Spring Packard