seersucker

Where does the word "seersucker" come from? It comes from Persian shir o shakar, passing through Hindi before entering English (1720s).

Seersucker’s story begins in Persian: shir o shakar meant “milk and sugar.” Literally "milk and sugar", describing the fabric's alternating smooth and puckered texture. By 1700s, the word had taken hold in Hindi as sirsakar. An East Indian corruption of the Persian phrase, adopted through British colonial textile trade with India. It reached English by 1720s as seersucker. Settled as the English name for the summer fabric. Today, seersucker means a thin, puckered cotton fabric often used for summer clothing.

1. Stage 1 · Persian · medieval shir o shakar "milk and sugar", literally "milk and sugar", describing the fabric's alternating smooth and puckered texture.
2. Stage 2 · Hindi · 1700s sirsakar "a puckered, striped cotton fabric", an East Indian corruption of the Persian phrase, adopted through British colonial textile trade with India.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1720s seersucker "a thin, puckered cotton fabric", settled as the English name for the summer fabric.