noun
calico
KA-lih-koh
noun
1
A plain, inexpensive cotton fabric, often printed with a simple pattern.
"She made curtains out of a cheerful floral calico."
adj
1
Having patches of different colors, especially describing a cat's coat.
"They adopted a calico cat with patches of orange, black, and white."
How to Use Calico
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA type of cotton cloth, or, describing an animal, having a multicolored patchy coat.
Common pairings
calico cat
calico print
calico fabric
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Etymology
Named after Calicut (Kozhikode), the Indian port city from which the cloth was originally exported to Europe.