Plural of gauze; multiple pieces of thin, translucent fabric made from cotton or other fibers, often used for medical bandaging or filtering.
From 'gauze,' which originated in the 16th century from Gaza, a city in Palestine famous for producing this fine fabric. The connection to Gaza gives us insight into medieval trade routes.
Gauze is named directly after Gaza—the Palestinian city that exported this luxurious fabric to Europe! It's one of the clearest examples of how trade and commerce have shaped English vocabulary over centuries.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.