chintz

chintz
\ \ [17] Chintz is originally an Indian word.
\ \ English borrowed it from Hindi chīnt, and at first used it unaltered: Samuel Pepys, for instance, writing in his diary for 5 September 1663, notes ‘Bought my wife a chint, that is, a painted Indian calico, for to line her new study’. However, since in commercial use the plural form, chints, was so much commoner than the singular, it eventually came to be regarded as a singular itself, and the s-less form dropped out of the language. In the 18th century, for some unexplained reason (perhaps on the analogy of such words as quartz) chints began to be spelled chintz. The Hindi word itself was originally an adjective, which came from Sanskrit chitra ‘many-coloured, bright’ (ultimate source of English chit ‘small piece of paper containing some sort of official notification’ [18]).
\ \ Cf.⇒ CHIT

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Chintz — from the Coromandel Coast, India, c. 1710–1725. V A Museum collections …   Wikipedia

  • chintz — [ ʃints ] n. m. • 1933; chint 1753; mot angl., du hindi ♦ Toile de coton imprimée, utilisée pour l ameublement. Rideau de chintz. ● chintz nom masculin (hindi chīnt) Toile de coton pour ameublement, généralement assez fine, teinte ou imprimée, et …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Chintz — 〈[ tʃı̣nts] m. 1; Textilw.〉 durch Wachsüberzug glänzend gemachter Baumwollstoff, meist bunt gemustert [engl. <ind. chint; urspr. bedruckter od. bemalter Kattun aus Indien] * * * Chintz [t̮ʃɪnt̮s ], der; [es], e [engl. chintz, älter: chints, Pl …   Universal-Lexikon

  • chintz|y — «CHIHNT see», adjective, chintz|i|er, chintz|i|est. 1. of or like chintz. 2. Slang. cheap, often in a mean and petty way: »I hate to phone friends and ask if they have these items because it seems so chintzy (Springfield Leader Press) …   Useful english dictionary

  • chintz — [tʃınts] n [U] [Date: 1600 1700; Origin: chints, plural of chint chintz (1600 1700), from Hindi] smooth cotton cloth that is printed with a flowery pattern and is used for making curtains, furniture covers etc ▪ pink chintz curtains …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Chintz — Chintz, n.; pl. {Chintzes}. [Hindi ch[=i]nt spotted cotton clooth, ch[=i]nt[=a] spot.] Cotton cloth, printed with flowers and other devices, in a number of different colors, and often glazed. Swift. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • chintz — s.m.inv. ES ingl. {{wmetafile0}} TS tess. cotone lucido usato spec. come tessuto d arredamento: un cuscino di chintz {{line}} {{/line}} VARIANTI: cintz, cinz. DATA: 1892. ETIMO: dall hindi chīnt cotone variegato …   Dizionario italiano

  • Chintz — [tʃints] der; [es], e <aus gleichbed. engl. chintz, dies aus Hindi chɪ̲ṅṭ> bunt bedrucktes Gewebe aus Baumwolle od. Chemiefasergarnen in Leinenbindung mit spiegelglatter, glänzender Oberfläche; vgl. ↑Ciré …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • chintz — [chints] n. [earlier chints, pl. of chint < Hindi chhīnt, chintz < Sans chitra, spot < IE base * (s)kai , bright > HOOD, OE hador, bright, L caelum, sky] a cotton cloth printed in colors with flower designs or other patterns and… …   English World dictionary

  • Chintz — 〈 [tʃı̣nts] m.; Gen.: (e)s, Pl.: e; Textilw.〉 durch Wachsüberzug glänzend gemachter Baumwollstoff, meist bunt gemustert [Etym.: engl., eigtl. »bedruckter od. bemalter Kattun aus Indien« <Hindi chint] …   Lexikalische Deutsches Wörterbuch

  • chintz — [ tʃınts ] noun uncount cotton cloth with a pattern of flowers, used especially for curtains and for covers for chairs …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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