nankeen

noun

nan·keen ˌnan-ˈkēn

1

: a durable brownish yellow cotton fabric originally loomed by hand in China

2

nankeens plural : trousers made of nankeen

Word History

Etymology

Nanking (Nanjing), China

First Known Use

circa 1700, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of nankeen was circa 1700

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Nankeen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nankeen. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

nankeen

noun

nan·keen (ˈ)nan-ˈkēn

: a durable brownish yellow cotton fabric originally from China

More from Merriam-Webster

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

ziggurat

Listen to the pronunciation of ziggurat

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Words You Always Have to Look Up

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Words in Disguise: Do these seem familiar?

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

'Lose' or 'loose'?

Popular in Wordplay

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

Popular

Words You Always Have to Look Up

8 Words with Fascinating Histories