madras

noun

ma·​dras ˈma-drəs 

mə-ˈdras,

-ˈdräs

1

: a large silk or cotton kerchief usually of bright colors that is often worn as a turban

2

a

: a fine plain-woven shirting and dress fabric usually of cotton with varied designs (such as plaid) in bright colors or in white

b

: a light open usually cotton fabric with a heavy design used for curtains

Synonyms

• babushka
• bandanna
• bandana
• do-rag
• handkerchief
• kerchief
• mantilla

Examples of madras in a Sentence

an Indian woman wearing a madras in bright yellow

Recent Examples on the Web

Straight teeth and sandy hair, Izod T-shirts and madras skirts and boat shoes. —Christian Livermore, Longreads, 11 Oct. 2022

Standalone cotton twill, madras, linen, rayon and poplin are light, airy and breathable—and therefore should be avoided at all costs. —Barry Samaha, Robb Report, 5 Jan. 2023

Robbie Kendall was waiting on the steps of the tomb in madras shorts and a light blue polo shirt, his blond hair worn just long enough to suggest surfer without actually looking disreputable. —Nick Romano, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2022

So the signatures of his brand, honed carefully over the decades, were all there: adorable children and debonair old folks walking in the show, preppy Polo classics like V-neck sweaters and madras pants. —Rory Satran, WSJ, 15 Oct. 2022

There is perhaps no greater patchwork proselytizer than Ralph Lauren, who scaled up from scraps to reliably mass-produce tweed and madras iterations with each season. —Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 10 Mar. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Madras, India

First Known Use

circa 1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

madras

noun

ma·​dras ˈmad-rəs 

mə-ˈdras,

-ˈdräs

: a fine plain-woven fabric usually of cotton with various designs (as plaid)

Geographical Definition

Madras

geographical name

Ma·​dras mə-ˈdras 

-ˈdräs

1

see tamil nadu

2

or now officially Chennai

ˈche-ˌnī 

city and port on the Bay of Bengal in southern India population 4,646,732

Madrasi

mə-ˈdra-sē 

-ˈdrä-

noun