Calico

calico, plain weave cotton fabric in one or more colors. Calico, named for Calicut, India, where the fabric originated, was mentioned by historians before the Christian era and praised by early travelers for its fine texture and beautiful colors. Block-printed cottons from Calicut imported into England c.1630 were called calicuts. The name calico was soon applied to all Indian cottons having an equal number of warp and weft threads, then to all plain weave cottons.

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calico

1. a white or unbleached cotton fabric with no printed design

2. Chiefly US a coarse printed cotton fabric

3. made of calico

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calico [′kal·ə‚kō]

(textiles)

Any plain-weave or inexpensive figured cotton cloth.

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Calico - C+@

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Calico 

(from French calencar, India or Persian cotton material; borrowed from Persian), a plain-weave cotton fabric used primarily for book binding and clothing linings. Calico becomes stiff and glossy after additional fabric finishing.

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Calico 

a thin, coarse cotton fabric of plain weave. Calico is used in the manufacture of oilcloth, Leatherette, and similar products. Chintz and such linen fabrics as madapollam and muslin are obtained by applying the appropriate finish to calico.