antimacassar

English

WOTD – 4 August 2007

Etymology

anti- +‎ macassar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌæn.tɪ.məˈkæs.ə/
• IPA^(key): /ˌæn.tɪ.məˈkæs.ɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æsə(r)

Noun

antimacassar (plural antimacassars)

1. A cover for the back or arms of a chair or sofa, originally to prevent them from being soiled by macassar oil.
   • 1908, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

     She was particularly fond of animals, and, besides her canary, whose cage hung on a nail in the massive wall of the keep by day, to the great annoyance of prisoners who relished an afterdinner nap, and was shrouded in an antimacassar on the parlour table at night, she kept several piebald mice and a restless revolving squirrel.

   • 1942, Emily Carr, The Book of Small, "Mrs. Crane," [1]

     […] how could anyone on a three-legged stool under the high top of the sofa sleep? Especially if the fringe of an antimacassar lolled over the top and tickled your neck?

Translations

cover for furniture

• French: têtière (fr)
• German: Antimakassar m, Sofaschoner m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek: κάλημμα επίπλων n (kálimma epíplon)
• Russian: антимакассар (ru) f (antimakassar)