X
Well attestedNamed for a product of the place

madras

noun · first attested 19th century

The checked cotton carries the old name of Chennai.

A light cotton cloth in bright checks or stripes.

Chennai·India

13.0825°N 80.2750°E · Q1352

Open on the atlas

Record

Relationship
Named for a product of the place
Confidence
Well attestedThe place link is the standard scholarly account.
Attested
19th century
Part of speech
noun

Explanations here are written for this atlas. Dictionary text is not copied; the sources are linked so the claim can be checked.

How it traveled
  1. Step 1

    Chennai

  2. In English

    madras

The entry

The cloth was exported through Madras, now Chennai, and English named it for the port rather than the weave. The city changed its name in 1996; the cloth did not.

India

15 more words from India

All 16 entries
Nearest pins