batiste

noun

ba·​tiste bə-ˈtēst How to pronounce batiste (audio)
ba-
: a fine soft sheer fabric of plain weave made of various fibers

Examples of batiste in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Coat of black silk satin brocaded with polychrome silk thread in a pattern of tulips; belt of black silk satin; blouse of white silk-cotton batiste; skirt of beige cotton-linen twill. — Irene Kim, Vogue, 28 June 2024 The third floor of the store is home to what is billed as the world’s largest collection of shirtings, with 6,000 types of poplins, batistes, zephyrs and voiles, and another room dedicated just to collars. — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, earlier also baptiste, by hypercorrection from *batisse (associated with the proper name Baptiste, pronounced with cluster simplification as Batiste, Batisse), going back to Middle French (Picard) batiche, probably from bat-, stem of battre "to beat, separate (fiber for felting)" + -iche, Picard cognate of central French -isse, adjective suffix, going back to Old French -ice, feminine of -eiz, iz, going back to Latin -ātīcius, -itīcius — more at battery

First Known Use

1697, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of batiste was in 1697

Rhymes for batiste

See All Rhymes for batiste

Browse Nearby Words

Batista (y Zaldívar)
batiste
batitinan
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Batiste.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/batiste. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

batiste

noun
ba·​tiste bə-ˈtēst How to pronounce batiste (audio)
ba-
: a fine soft sheer fabric of plain weave

More from Merriam-Webster on batiste

Nglish: Translation of batiste for Spanish Speakers

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