fustian

American  

[fuhs-chuhn] / ˈfʌs tʃən /

noun

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.

   Fustian can't disguise the author's meager plot.

   Synonyms:

   claptrap, rant, bombast

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adjective

1. made of fustian.

   a fustian coat;

   fustian bed linen.

2. pompous or bombastic, as language.

   fustian melodrama.

3. worthless; cheap.

   fustian knaves and dupes.

fustian British  

/ ˈfʌstɪən /

noun

1. 1. a hard-wearing fabric of cotton mixed with flax or wool with a slight nap

   2. ( as modifier )

      a fustian jacket

2. pompous or pretentious talk or writing

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adjective

1. cheap; worthless

2. pompous; bombastic

Etymology

Origin of fustian

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English, fustian, fustain, fustein, from Old French fustai(g)ne, from Medieval Latin fūstāneum, fūstiānum, fūstānum, perhaps a derivative of Latin fūstis “stick, cudgel,” used as a loan translation of Greek (Septuagint) xýlina lína “cotton,” literally, “wood linen” ” (the cotton plant is woody, unlike flax, the source of linen); Fostat, a suburb of Cairo, where fustian was manufactured, has also been proposed as the source of fūstāneum

Example Sentences

Welles’ “Macbeth,” while historically important for its bold auteur stamp, is similarly held back by theatrical fustian and bombast.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 14, 2022

Yet, although Mantel adopts none of the archaic fustian of so many historical novels — the capital letters, the antique turns of phrase — her book feels firmly fixed in the 16th century.

From New York Times • Oct. 21, 2021

"It rather depends whether you're clad in the fustian of Victorian habit or you embrace the common ground with our European cousins," he says.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2014

Mantel uses her own words – there is no fustian in the prose – yet all the observations are her character's.

From The Guardian • Nov. 30, 2012

Yossarian was unmoved by the fustian charade of the burial ceremony, and by Milo’s crushing bereavement.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller