buckram

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a coarse cotton fabric stiffened with glue; used in bookbinding and to stiffen clothing
  2. verb stiffen with or as with buckram
  3. adjective rigidly formal

Etymology

From Middle English bukeram (“fine linen”), from Anglo-Norman bokeram, from Old French boquerant, bougherant (“fine cloth”), bougueran, probably ultimately from Bokhara, a city in southeastern Uzbekistan.

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