buckram

[ buhk-ruhm ]
See synonyms for buckram on Thesaurus.com
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.

Origin of buckram

1
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

Words Nearby buckram

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use buckram in a sentence

  • At our challenge they have now taken to their heels like Falstaff's eleven rogues in buckram suits.

  • Making frames for hats follows—the frames are of wire and buckram.

    The Canadian Girl at Work | Marjory MacMurchy
  • A Special Presentation Edition, bound in white buckram, with extra gilt ornament.

    Battles of English History | H. B. (Hereford Brooke) George
  • They might have been weighted with buckram, although it was no longer in general use.

    The Copy-Cat and Other Stories | Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
  • They are very poorly clad, for their clothes are only of the skins of beasts, and canvas, and buckram.

    Some Heroes of Travel | W. H. Davenport Adams

British Dictionary definitions for buckram

buckram

/ (ˈbʌkrəm) /


noun
    • cotton or linen cloth stiffened with size, etc, used in lining or stiffening clothes, bookbinding, etc

    • (as modifier): a buckram cover

  1. archaic stiffness of manner

verb-rams, -raming or -ramed
  1. (tr) to stiffen with buckram

Origin of buckram

1
C14: from Old French boquerant, from Old Provençal bocaran, ultimately from Bukhara, once an important source of textiles

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012