A Glossary of
Fabrics in Sixteenth Century Italian

These textile
("stuff" or "cloth") names
are taken directly from Florio's 1598 edition of
his "Worlde of Wordes" - an
Italian/English Dictionary. The Italian word is
as it appears in the original, but I have
modernised the spelling of the English
definition. Despite this, there are some
sixteenth century English words with which you
may not be familiar - in this case I highly
recommend a visit to The Renaissance Tailor's Tailoring Vocabulary page, where many of these words are
defined. Please note that some of the words are
spelled differently to that in the listing below.
This appears to have been par for the course in
the sixteenth century.
There are
currently 122 textile names in this Glossary. I
will be adding to these from the 1611 edition of
the dictionary in time. Text in brackets is mine.
Altabasso
-a kind of wrought velvet with
high and low work
Bauero -...Also a kind of stuff
made of raw silk, as curled or raw
cypress.
Bigio -gray or russet colour.
Also homespun cloth or sheep's russet.
Bissino -a kind of fine silken
stuff called bisse
Boccalino -properly such stuff
as we call Buckram. Also such stuff as we
call Callimanco
Bombagiare -a kind of stuff
called bombasine made of cotton wool
Bordo -a kind of silk stuff
woven
Borra -any stuffing for saddles,
or other quilting or bombasting
Borratto -a 'bolting'
cloth, a sieve...a kind of stuff called
Burato
Broccame -all manner of
clothes (cloths?) of tissue, gold, or
silver
Brocatello -thin tinsel,
or slight cloth of gold or silver
Broccato -cloth of gold
or silver. Also cloth of bodkin, or
tissue
Bucherame -buckram or
calico cloth
Burattino -a kind of
stuff called Burato
Cambrai -cambric cloth,
named after the town where much is made
of it
Camelotto -the stuff we
call chamblet
Canapázzo -coarse
hempen canvas. Also hempen .... or
sackcloth
Canevaccio -sackcloth or
canvas
Carcassóne -a kind of
coarse stuff so called, whereof sailors
make frocks....
Chente -...also a kind
of fine linen cloth
Damasco -the stuff
called Damask
Doaggio -a kind of
coarse garment, or shepherds cloth
Dobetta -a kind of
silken stuff worn in doublets
Dosso -...also a kind of
coarse home-spun cloth.
Drappo di lino -linen
cloth
Drappo d'oro -cloth of
gold or tissue
Drappo di seta -all
manner of woven silk
Duaggio -a kind of
coarse home-spun clothing
Feltro -a felt, whereof
hats are made or riding cloaks and bases.
Felzata -a kind of
coarse woollen stuff so called like felt
Fresone -coarse frieze
rug or home spun cloth
Frisa -the stuff called
frieze
Frisada -a kind of stuff
called frizado
Frisella -very fine
frieze or nappie (napped?) cloth which we
call peni-stone or cotton.
Frisetta -as above
Frisone -..also a rough
hairy garment...also a coarse, thick
frieze. Also the stuff we call rug
Fustagno -the stuff we call
fustian
Grigio -gray, sheep's
russet, dark, brown, black, hoary, white,
or homespun sheep's russet cloth
Grigione -a coarse gray,
a homespun cloth
Grognano -a kind of
stuff called grogram or mockado
Grossograno -a stuff
which we call grogaran (grosgrain?)
Guarnéllo -fustian, or
that stuff we call bustian or cavell...
Guigi -a stuff called
satin of Briges
Lentima -a kind of
sack-cloth so called
Lenza -fine linen cloth,
as lawn or cambric
Linaccio -coarse flax.
Also canvas, or Holland cloth
Lini -linen. Also sheets
Lino -line, flax or
linen.
Lisaro -a kind of narrow
cotton cloth
Lubiano -a kind of linen
cloth so called
Mezzalana -a stuff
called linsey-woolsey, or any stuff made
of half wool and half silk or linen
Moccaiaro -the stuff we call
mockado
Ortichino -a kind of
cloth we call calico or nettle cloth, or
the roots to make it.
Ostata -a kind of smooth
stuff called worsted
Polare -a kind of
woollen stuff as buffin, mockado,
durance, or rash
Pannaccio -filthy coarse
cloth, rug, or frieze, homespun cloth
Panno accottonato
-cottoned, or frieze, cloth
Panno lana -woollen
cloth
Panno lino -linen cloth
Panno di seta -any cloth
made of silk
Pólana -a kind of
coarse woollen cloth
Quattraggio -...Also a
kind of coarse home spun cloth that
shepherds use
Rascia -a kind of stuff
called silk rash
Raso -the stuff called
Satin
Rensa, Renza -lawn or
cambric, or such fine linen cloth
Restagno -a kind of
stuff like fustian, such as they make
waistcoats of
Riccio -curled, crisped,
frizzed, shagged, bushy, hairy, rough,
curled cypress, crispin, unshorn velvet.
Riccio sopra riccio -the
richest cloth of gold or bodkin that is
(refers to velvet)
Romagnuoso -a kind of
coarse home spun, sheep's russet cloth,
friars cloth or shepherd's clothing
Saietta -a kind of fine
serge or cloth for coats, it is also rash
Samito -a kind of
sleave, filosell, seret or coarse silk
stuff.
Sandado -a kind of thin
sandal, or sarcenet
Sandalo -as above
Sangallo -buckram cloth
Sargia -the stuff we
call saye or serge....
Sarge -...Also serges
Sargia -the stuff we
call saye or serge...
Sattino -the silk stuff
we call satin
Scarlato -scarlet
cloth...
Sciamito -a kind of
sleave, seret or filoselo silk. Also a
kind of thin stuff half silk, half wool
like burato
Scótto -...also a kind
of coarse woollen stuff
Serica -a kind of stuff
called fine serge or saye with silk in it
Sessantina -...also a
kind of fine lawn, cambric or fine linen
cloth
Setanino -a kind of thin
velvet called fefusados (velveteen-like
fabric?)
Sete -all manner of
silks
Setino -a kind of thin
silk stuff like burato or mockado,
silken, made or wrought of silk
Sfilatura -any kind of
ravelled stuff or sleave silk, or lint
that surgeons use
Soprariccio -pile upon
pile, the richest velvet or cloth of gold
that is
Spalliera -....also a
kind of stuff made for hangings called
Darnix...
Stame -...Also a kind of
cloth as our penni-stone or stammell
is....
Stametto -a kind of
woollen stuff called saye, sarge, or such
flannel stuff
Tabi -a kind of thin
silk stuff called tabis, tissue, or
bisse, or tabin
Taffetà -all manner of
taffeta
Taffetado -as above
Tela -any kind of web or
woven cloth so it be not of wool
Tela d'argento -cloth of
tissue or silver
Tela di lino -any kind
of linen cloth
Tela di sangallo -the
stuff we call buckram. Also calico
Tela d'oro -cloth of
tissue or gold
Telami ...all manner of
linen cloth
Telerie -all manner of
linen cloths or weavings
Teletta -....also fine
tinsel, tissue, or linen cloth
Teletta d'oro -tinsel or
tissue of gold
Terligia -a kind of
sack-cloth worn in doublets and hosen in
Italy
Terlisa -as above
Terzanéllo -a kind of
slight silken stuff made of seret or
filosella silk
Tesserino -...Also a
kind of fine stuff like silk mockado, or
calimanco
Treaggio -a kind of
coarse home spun cloth that shepherds use
to wear
Trine velutate -a kind
of silken stuff so called
Trippa -a kind of tripe
(?) that they make women's saddles with
called fustian of Naples
Vaio -a kind of rich fur
called gray miniver
Vai -as above
Valenzana -a kind of
saye, serge, or stuff to make curtains
for beds with
Velutino -fine, slender,
coarse, refusado velvet (velveteen-like
fabric?)
Veluto -a stuff of silk
called velvet
Veluto figurato -figured
velvet, or wrought velvet
Veluto riccio -unshorn
velvet
Zambellótto -a kind of
stuff called chamblet
Zarzecano -a kind of
coarse cloth that Moors make and weave
Zendado -a kind of fine
thin silken stuff called taffeta sarcenet
or sendall
Zendalo -as above
Zibellino -the rich fur
called sable
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