A type of fine, glossy fabric made from twisted threads, historically used for elegant clothing and tapestries.
From Italian bisso or French bis, possibly related to Latin byssus (fine linen), which came from Greek byssos. The term describes luxurious woven materials, with the meaning shifting through Mediterranean textile trade over centuries.
Medieval nobles paid fortunes for 'bisso' fabric when they could get it—it was basically the designer material of the Renaissance, so rare and shiny that even kings got jealous of each other's garments!
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