A type of fine quality cloth or fabric, possibly referring to muslin or similar textile from India.
From Arabic or possibly Sanskrit origins, brought into English through trade terminology. This word reflects the spice-trade era when English merchants imported exotic fabrics from Asia and needed names for them.
Medieval traders documented 'attal' in their ledgers as a luxury import, but the word was so regional and specialized that it basically disappeared when trade patterns shifted—it's a ghost word from the era when your fabric's country of origin actually mattered for its name.
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