nankeen

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun a durable fabric formerly loomed by hand in China from natural cotton having a yellowish color

Eye spelling of Nanking, itself a romanization of Chinese 南京 (Nánjīng, literally “Southern capital”).

He leads John Eglinton who wears a mandarin’s kimono of Nankeen yellow, lizardlettered, and a high pagoda hat. — Ulysses, James Joyce
I have likewise taken coarse nankeen to the amount of 100_l._ value, as the best circulating medium in the country. — The Expedition to Borneo of H.M.S. Dido: For the Suppression of Piracy, Henry, Sir Keppel
Here you, Eroshka!” he added, addressing a poor fellow in a yellow nankeen coat, who considered himself to be a gardener, “what have you to do? — The Torrents of Spring, Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev

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