n. & adj.
n. 1 a coarse linen or other cloth stiffened with gum or paste, and used as interfacing or in bookbinding. 2 archaic stiffness in manner.
adj. archaic starchy; formal. men in buckram a figment (Shakesp. 1 Henry IV II. iv. 210-50).
[ ME f. AF bukeram, OF boquerant, perh. f. Bokhara in central Asia ]