Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A closely woven silk or rayon fabric with narrow horizontal ribs.
  • noun A ribbon made of this fabric.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A stout corded silk stuff, not very lustrous, and one of the most durable of silk fabrics.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of a coarse texture; -- applied to silk with a heavy thread running crosswise.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A silk fabric having narrow, horizontal ribs.
  • noun A close-woven fabric (usually made from silk or rayon) having narrow horizontal ribs.
  • noun A ribbon made of this fabric.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a silk or silklike fabric with crosswise ribs

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French gros grain, coarse texture : gros, coarse, thick (from Old French; see gross) + grain, texture, grain (from Old French graine, grain, seed; see grain).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French gros-grain.

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Examples

  • a century, no girl of Virginia's class had married in Dinwiddie without the crowning benediction of a black silk gown, and ever since the announcement of Virginia's betrothal her mother had cramped her small economies in order that she might buy "grosgrain" of the best quality.

    Virginia Ellen Anderson Gholson Glasgow 1909

  • This fabric had matching grosgrain ribbon, so I bought a roll of it and just tied it in my hair over an elastic band.

    The Colorful Garments Painted by Eugene de Blaas (1815-1894) 2009

  • A millenary confection in grey felt, glittering with rhinestones, trimmed in black grosgrain.

    Archive 2009-01-01 2009

  • I gently unbound the grosgrain ribbon and stripped away the thin tissue.

    Exit the Actress Priya Parmar 2011

  • A millenary confection in grey felt, glittering with rhinestones, trimmed in black grosgrain.

    Aretha's Hat 2009

  • I plan to get a narrow grosgrain ribbon of this type and make ties for this dress.

    The Colorful Garments Painted by Eugene de Blaas (1815-1894) 2009

  • Brooks Brothers also designed belts in grosgrain and suede that are color-coordinated with the shoes, taking the what-goes-with-this question off the table.

    Spring Shoes for Men Step Brightly Ray A. Smith 2012

  • I gently unbound the grosgrain ribbon and stripped away the thin tissue.

    Exit the Actress Priya Parmar 2011

  • Planned grosgrain ribbon inside the hem made the "tennis tail"—a longer back shirttail for easy tucking—curl up.

    Polo Puzzle: What Goes Into a $155 Price Tag? Christina Binkley 2012

  • Teddy reported that the king wore lavish lace cuffs, a long, narrow rhubarb-pink-striped waistcoat, high-heeled court shoes with wired grosgrain ribbon quel glamour—Teddy swooned, and a knee-length embroidered surcoat, which he removed immediately and slung on the back of a chair.

    Exit the Actress Priya Parmar 2011

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