antimacassar

American  

[an-ti-muh-kas-er] / ˌæn tɪ məˈkæs ər /

noun

1. a small covering, usually ornamental, placed on the backs and arms of upholstered furniture to prevent wear or soiling; a tidy.

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antimacassar British  

/ ˌæntɪməˈkæsə /

noun

1. a cloth covering the back and arms of chairs, etc, to prevent soiling or as decoration

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Etymology

Origin of antimacassar

First recorded in 1850–55; anti- + Macassar (oil)

Example Sentences

His strength was neurosis, and the best of his etchings, with their strangely modern battles of id and antimacassar, are illustrations of a Freudian maxim: civilization is repression.

From Time Magazine Archive

I hazard the guess that Tap Day is doomed, along with the antimacassar, the wall motto, and the works of Sarah Orne Jewett.

From Time Magazine Archive

Except on the crack trains, cars are dirty, creaky, ramshackle and old, though also comfortable in a musty, antimacassar way.

From Time Magazine Archive

Today, the style known as Art Nouvemt seems about as "new" as Grandmother's antimacassar.

From Time Magazine Archive

His head was imparting some of its ambrosia to the light chintz chair-cover, for he had impatiently thrown the antimacassar under the table.

From By Birth a Lady by Fenn, George Manville