moiré

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. adj. Having a wavy or rippled surface pattern. Used of fabric.
2. n. Fabric, such as silk or rayon, finished so as to have a wavy or rippled surface pattern.
3. n. A similar pattern produced on cloth by engraved rollers.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Same as moire, 1.
2. To give a variety of shades to, by the moiré métallique process of tin-coating.
3. In finishing cotton goods, to stamp a fabric so as to produce a watered or moiré effect, for which various methods are employed.

Wiktionary

1. n. A pattern that emerges when two grids are superimposed over one another, usually unintended and undesirable in many applications such as in weaving and screenprinting.
2. n. Watered silk.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A watered, clouded, or frosted appearance on textile fabrics or metallic surfaces.
2. n. Erroneously, moire, the fabric.
3. n. a wavy pattern of lines produced by the superposition of two patterns having closely spaced, often curved, lines, so that the lines of the two patterns intersect at an acute angle. When the superposing patterns are moved relative to the observer or relative to each other, a shimmering effect is produced in which the apparent pattern changes, often producing a pleasing artistic effect. The effect may be seen, for example, when the superposed folds of a sheer fabric, such as a window curtain, are observed with transmitted light.
4. n. (Printing) an interference pattern produced by the dots of a color printing process.
5. adj. Watered; having a watered or clouded appearance; -- as of silk or metals.
6. v. To give a watered or clouded appearance to (a surface).