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buckram (n.)

early 13c., from Old French boquerant "fine oriental cloth" (12c., Modern French bougran), probably (along with Spanish bucarán, Italian bucherame) from Bukhara, city in central Asia from which it was imported to Europe. Originally a name of a delicate, costly fabric, it later came to mean coarse linen used for lining. The many variations of its spelling in Middle English and Old French indicate confusion over the origin. The -m may indicate that the word arrived in English via Italian.

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Definitions of buckram from WordNet
1
buckram (v.)
stiffen with or as with buckram;
buckram the skirt
2
buckram (n.)
a coarse cotton fabric stiffened with glue; used in bookbinding and to stiffen clothing;
3
buckram (adj.)
rigidly formal;
his prose has a buckram quality
Synonyms: starchy / stiff
From wordnet.princeton.edu