fustian
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Related to fustian: habergeon
fus·tian
(fŭs′chən)n.
1.
a. A coarse sturdy cloth made of cotton and linen or flax.
b. Any of several thick twilled cotton fabrics, such as corduroy, having a short nap.
2. Pretentious speech or writing; pompous language.
adj.
1. Made of or as if of fustian: "[He] disliked the heavy, fustian ... and brocaded decor of Soviet officialdom" (Frederick Forsyth).
2. Pompous, bombastic, and ranting: "Yossarian was unmoved by the fustian charade of the burial ceremony" (Joseph Heller).
[Middle English fusten, fustian, from Old French fustaigne, from Medieval Latin fūstāneum, fūstiāneum (translation of Greek xulinos, made of cotton, from xulon, wood, cotton (cotton being so called because it comes from a woody shrub, unlike linen)) : Medieval Latin fūstis, wooden stick, tree trunk (from Latin, club; see fusty) + Latin -āneum, neuter of -āneus, adj. suffix. Noun, sense 2, and adjective, sense 2, probably from the fact that the nappy fustian of the 1500s was considered a cheap imitation of velvet, or perhaps from the use of fustian to cover cushions and pillows (that is, "padding") .]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
fustian
(ˈfʌstɪən)n
1. (Textiles)
a. a hard-wearing fabric of cotton mixed with flax or wool with a slight nap
b. (as modifier): a fustian jacket.
2. pompous or pretentious talk or writing
adj
3. cheap; worthless
4. pompous; bombastic
[C12: from Old French fustaigne, from Medieval Latin fustāneum, from Latin fustis cudgel]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
fus•tian
(ˈfʌs tʃən)n.
1. a stout fabric of cotton and flax.
2. a fabric of stout twilled cotton or of cotton and low-quality wool, with a short nap or pile.
3. inflated or turgid language in writing or speaking.
adj. 4. made of fustian.
5. pompous or bombastic, as language.
[1150–1200; Middle English < Old French fustaigne < Medieval Latin fūstāneum]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
fustian
a high-flown, bombastic style of writing or speaking. — fustianist, n.
See also: Rhetoric and Rhetorical Devicesa high-flown, bombastic style of writing or speaking. — fustianist, n.
See also: Language Style-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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Noun | 1. | fustian - pompous or pretentious talk or writing grandiloquence, grandiosity, magniloquence, ornateness, rhetoric - high-flown style; excessive use of verbal ornamentation; "the grandiosity of his prose"; "an excessive ornateness of language" |
2. | fustian - a strong cotton and linen fabric with a slight nap |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
fustian
nounPretentious, pompous speech or writing:
Characterized by language that is elevated and sometimes pompous in style:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007