How do the names of different textiles tell us about their histories?

The names of different textiles tell us about their histories-

• Muslin- from India Arab merchants carried a fine cotton cloth to Mosul in present-day Iraq. It was seen by European traders. Hence, they began to refer to all fine woven textiles as Muslin.

• Calico-When the Portuguese first came to India in search of spices they landed in Calicut on the Kerala coast in south-west India. The cotton textiles which they took back to Europe came to be known as calico, which is derived from Calicut.

• Chintz-The chintz is also in a great demand it is derived from the Hindi word chhint, a cloth with small and colourful flowery designs.

• Bandanna- It refers to any brightly coloured and printed scarf for the neck or head. Originally, the term derived from the word ‘bandanna’ and referred to a variety of brightly coloured cloth produced through a method of tying and dying.