moire

¹

[ mwahr, mawr, mohr ]

noun

1. any moiré fabric.

moiré

²

[ mwah-rey, mawr-ey, mohr-ey; French mwa-rey ]

adjective

1. (of silks and other fabrics) presenting a watery or wavelike appearance.

noun

1. a design pressed on silk, rayon, etc., by engraved rollers.
2. any silk, rayon, etc., fabric with a watery or wavelike appearance.
3. Printing. an interference pattern of dots appearing in the print of process color.

moire

¹

/ mwɑː /

noun

1. a fabric, usually silk, having a watered effect

moiré

²

/ ˈmwɑːreɪ /

adjective

1. having a watered or wavelike pattern

noun

1. such a pattern, impressed on fabrics by means of engraved rollers
2. any fabric having such a pattern; moire
3. Alsomoiré pattern a pattern seen when two geometrical patterns, such as grids, are visually superimposed

Word History and Origins

Origin of moire¹

1650–60; < French < English mohair

Origin of moire²

From French, dating back to 1810–20; moire, -ee

Word History and Origins

Origin of moire¹

C17: from French, earlier mouaire, from mohair

Origin of moire²

C17: from French, from moire mohair

Example Sentences

The moire seen on the display isn’t visible in person.

From The Verge

Hidden in “Ciphersex,” a set of lenticular prints, are explicit photographs of the artist, camouflaged within moire patterns.

From Washington Post

“Upon my word, here’s a state of things!” cried the old lady, taking the seat of honor prepared for her, and settling the folds of her lavender moire with a great rustle.

From Literature

If I shift my head or the phone even a little, there’s a moire effect that instantly draws my eye — even after a week of use it’s still happening.

From The Verge

A lower quality “aliased and moire” setting does a more faithful job at the expense of clarity.

From The Verge