buckram

[ buhk-ruhm ]

noun

1. a stiff cotton fabric for interlinings, book bindings, etc.
2. stiffness of manner; extreme preciseness or formality.

verb (used with object)

, buck·ramed, buck·ram·ing.

1. to strengthen with buckram.
2. Archaic. to give a false appearance of importance, value, or strength to.

buckram

/ ˈbʌkrəm /

noun

1. 1. cotton or linen cloth stiffened with size, etc, used in lining or stiffening clothes, bookbinding, etc
   2. ( as modifier )

      a buckram cover

2. archaic.
   stiffness of manner

verb

1. tr to stiffen with buckram

Word History and Origins

Origin of buckram¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English bokeram, buk(e)ram, from Old French bo(u)querant, Old Italian bucherame, perhaps from Middle High German buckeram, said to be named after Bukhara, once noted for textiles

Word History and Origins

Origin of buckram¹

C14: from Old French boquerant , from Old Provençal bocaran , ultimately from Bukhara , once an important source of textiles

Example Sentences

They value efficiency and aesthetics above all other considerations, and they end up a graveyard of lost opportunities: How will the jacket or the obi interact with the buckram?

From Los Angeles Times

They value efficiency and aesthetics above all other considerations, and they end up a graveyard of lost opportunities: How will the jacket or the obi interact with the buckram?

From Los Angeles Times

Mrs. Beane made her hats the old-fashioned way, wetting buckram — a stiff cotton — into molds decorated with all manner of fabrics.

From Washington Post

This special edition is numbered 766 of only 900 volumes and is printed on japon vellum paper with a green buckram upper cover decorated in gilt with a large Homeric bow, in reference to Homer's Odyssey, the epic classical poem by which the novel is heavily influenced.

From BBC

When Becker first began making masks, it was labor intensive, working with water-based clay, petroleum jelly and buckram fabric, he said.

From Washington Times

Related Words

• arthritic
• creaky
• rigid
• solid
• stark
• tense
• thick
• tight
• wooden