Calico Meaning
/ˈkæ.lɪ.kəʊ/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA kind of rough cloth made from unbleached and not fully processed cotton, often printed with a bright pattern.
nounEllipsis of calico cat.
Sentence Examples
The gingham dog and the calico cat Side by side on the table sat.
The gingham dog went "bow-wow-wow!" And the calico cat replied "mee-ow!"
CEFR Practice Quiz
The quilt was made from a soft ____ fabric with small floral prints.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A ____ cat has a coat with three different and distinct colors.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Malayalam കോഴിക്കോട് (kōḻikkōṭŭ)bor. Portuguese Calicutbor. English Calicut English calico From Calicut, from where the cloth was originally exported, from Malayalam കോഴിക്കോട് (kōḻikkōṭŭ, “Kozhikode”), from കോഴി (kōḻi, “palace”) + കോട് (kōṭŭ, “fortified palace”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"This helix was covered with calico, and then a second wire applied in the same manner."
— 1832, Michael Faraday, “Experimental Researches in Electricity”, in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, volume 122, →DOI, →JSTOR, page 126:
"Trussed in corsets, jawbone-high collars and calicos that had seen better days, they have little enough to work with, their attempts at coquetry further constrained by their rigid mores of the day."
— 2017 June 30, Ruth La Ferla, “In ‘The Beguiled,’ Pretty Confections Whipped Up to Seduce”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
"One of them, a calico whose half-grown kittens he just fed, slow-blinks at him, an affectionate gesture."
— 2022, N. K. Jemisin, The World We Make, Orbit, page 111:
"Sara, oh Sara / Scorpio Sphinx in a calico dress"
— 1976, Bob Dylan, “Sara”, in Desire:
Explore More C2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The quilt was made from a soft ____ fabric with small floral prints.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A ____ cat has a coat with three different and distinct colors.