Bombazine

bum-ba-zen, a twilled dress fabric of which the warp is silk and the weft worsted. The name is from a Greek word signifying silk. Bombazine is somewhat wiry, and has a changeable, lustrous appearance due to the play of light on the different threads in its surface. It has been known in England since the time of Elizabeth. Bombazine has been made in colors, but it is usually black. It is worn by certain religious orders in Spain and South America, and is the material of the Spanish mantilla. Bombazine was at one time a favorite material for mourning gowns.