Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

fustian

/ˈfʌs.t͡ʃən/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.51 in modern English

Syllables
fust-i-an
IPA
/ˈfʌs.t͡ʃən/
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Originally, a kind of coarse fabric made from cotton and flax; now, a kind of coarse twilled cotton, or cotton and linen, stuff with a short pile and often dyed a dull colour, which is chiefly prepared for menswear.

Uncountable

noun

A class of fabric including corduroy and velveteen.

Uncountable

noun

Chiefly in rum fustian: a hot drink made of a mixture of alcoholic beverages (as beer, gin, and sherry or white wine) with egg yolk, lemon, and spices.

Archaic; Uncountable

adj

Made out of fustian (noun sense 1).

adj

Imaginary; invented.

Obsolete

adj

Useless; worthless.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

Etymology

The noun is derived from Middle English fustian (“type of fabric, probably made from cotton, flax, or wool; piece of fustian spread over a bed or mattress”) [and other forms], from Old French fustaine, fustaigne (modern French futaine), from Medieval Latin fūstāneum, from (pannus) fūstāneus or (tela) fūstānea, of disputed origin. Sense 3 (“inflated, pompous, or pretentious speech or writing”) is possibly from the fact that the fabric was sometimes used to make cushion- and pillowcases, thus suggesting that the speech or writing is “padded” or “stuffed”; compare bombast. The relationship between sense 4 (“hot drink made of a mixture of alcoholic beverages with egg yolk, lemon, and spices”) and the fabric is unclear. The adjective is from an attributive use of the noun. Cognates * Italian fustagno * Occitan fustani * Portuguese fustão * Spanish fustán

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: fustian, fustaine, fūstāneum

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈfʌs.t͡ʃən/
  • British English: /ˈfʌs.tɪ.ən/

Usage

Inflected Forms

fustians (plural) more fustian (comparative) most fustian (superlative)

Derived Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Antonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce fustian?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈfʌs.t͡ʃən/.
What does fustian mean?
Originally, a kind of coarse fabric made from cotton and flax; now, a kind of coarse twilled cotton, or cotton and linen, stuff with a short pile and often dyed a dull colour, which is chiefly prepared for menswear.
Where does fustian come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce fustian

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “fustian”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈfʌs.t͡ʃən/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “fustian”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “fustian” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.