■ noun
1》 a smooth, glossy fabric, usually of silk, produced by a weave in which the threads of the warp are caught and looped by the weft only at certain intervals.
2》 [as modifier ] denoting or having a smooth, glossy surface or finish.
■ verb ( ~s , ~ing , ~ed ) give a ~ surface to.
Derivatives
~ize or ~ise verb
~y adjective
Origin
ME: via OFr. from Arab. zaytūnī 'of Tsinkiang', a town in China.