percale

English

Etymology

From French percale, of uncertain origin; probably compare percaulah.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /pəˈkeɪl/, /pəˈkɑːl/
• Rhymes: -eɪl

Noun

percale (countable and uncountable, plural percales)

1. (textiles) A fine, closely woven fabric, made from cotton, polyester or a mix of these, and used for sheets and clothing.
   • 1976 September, Saul Bellow, Humboldt’s Gift, New York, N.Y.: Avon Books, →ISBN, page 403:

     In her percale bed. In her heaven of piled pillows.

Translations

textile

• Bulgarian: хасе n (hase)
• Catalan: percala (ca) f
• German: Perkal m
• Haitian Creole: pèkal
• Italian: percalle m
• Ottoman Turkish: پركال (perkal)
• Polish: perkal (pl) m
• Romanian: percal (ro) n
• Russian: перка́ль (ru) f (perkálʹ)
• Spanish: percal (es) m
• Swedish: perkal (sv) c
• Tagalog: perkal
• Turkish: perkal
• Ukrainian: перка́ль f (perkálʹ)

Anagrams

• replace

French

Etymology

From Persian پرگاله (pargâle, “a patch, a percale”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɛʁ.kal/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

percale f (uncountable)

1. percale

Descendants

• Ottoman Turkish: پركال (perkal)
  • Turkish: perkal
• → Spanish: percal

Further reading

• “percale”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.