I. ˈbə-krəm noun
Etymology: Middle English bukeram, from Anglo-French bokeram, from Old French bougherant, probably ultimately from Bokhara (Bukhara, Uzbekistan)
Date: 15th century
1. : a stiff-finished heavily sized fabric of cotton or linen used for interlinings in garments, for stiffening in millinery, and in bookbinding
2. archaic : stiffness , rigidity
II. adjective
Date: circa 1589
: suggesting buckram especially in stiffness
III. transitive verb
Date: 1783
1. : to give strength or stiffness to (as with buckram)
2. archaic : to make pretentious