→ European traders first encountered five cotton cloths from Indian carried by Arab merchants
in Mosul in present day Iraq. So they began referring to all finally woven textiles as muslin” – a
word acquired wide currency.
→ When Portuguese first came to India in search of spices they landed in calient on the Kerala
coast in South West India. The cotton textiles which they took back to Europe, along with the
spices, came to called “Caloco” (derived from Calicnt) and subsequently calico became the
general name for all cotton textiles.
→ Chintz is derived from the Hindi word chhint, a cloth with small and colourful flowery
designs.
→ Bandanna now refers to any brightly coloured and printed scarf for the neck or head.
Originally the term derived from the word “bandhna” (Hindi for tying).