chiffon

What it means

1. countableuncountableA lightweight, balanced plain-woven sheer fabric, or gauze, like gossamer, woven of alternate S- and Z-twist crepe (high-twist) yarns made of silk, polyester, or cotton.

   Her dresses are made from these marvelous chiffons.

2. countableuncountableAny purely ornamental accessory on a woman's dress, such as a bunch of ribbon, lace, etc.

In a sentence

Her dresses are made from these marvelous chiffons.

Where it comes from

1. Old Englishċipp“chip, splinter, shaving”
2. Middle Englishchip
3. Old Frenchchipe“rag”
4. Middle Frenchchiffe“cloth, old rag”
5. Frenchchiffon
6. Englishchiffon

Borrowed from French chiffon, from Middle French chiffe (“cloth, old rag”), from Old French chipe (“rag”), from Middle English chip, chippe (“chip, shard, fragment”), from Old English ċipp (“chip, splinter, shaving”); see chip.