A plain-woven cotton cloth, typically unbleached and sometimes printed with simple patterns. It is named after the Indian city where it was first produced for export.
From Calicut (modern Kozhikode), a port city in Kerala, India, where this cotton fabric was originally manufactured and exported. The word entered English in the 16th century through Portuguese and Dutch traders who imported the cloth from the Malabar Coast. The city name derives from Malayalam കോഴിക്കോട് (Kōḻikkōṭ).
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