Definitions

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

  • noun A smooth, often silk fabric that is woven with a glossy face and a dull back.
  • noun A garment made of this fabric.
  • noun A kind of paint that dries to a smooth shiny finish.
  • adjective Made of or covered with satin.
  • adjective Glossy, sleek, and smooth.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To give a satin finish to; make smooth and glossy on the surface like satin.
  • noun A yellow mixture applied to the flesh side of a hide or skin to get a yellow back.
  • noun A silk material of which the surface is very glossy, and the back not as lustrous as the face.
  • Made of satin: as, a satin dress.
  • Of the nature of satin; pertaining to or resembling satin; having a satin surface.

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

  • noun A silk cloth, of a thick, close texture, and overshot woof, which has a glossy surface.
  • noun a kind of lasting; a stout worsted stuff, woven with a satin twill, used for women's shoes.
  • noun See under Farmer.
  • noun (Zoöl.) an Australian bower bird. Called also satin grackle.
  • noun (Bot.) See Honesty, 4.
  • noun (Min.) A similar variety of gypsum.
  • noun (Zoöl.) the shining flycatcher (Myiagra nitida) of Tasmania and Australia. The upper surface of the male is rich blackish green with a metallic luster.
  • noun satin spar.

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

  • adjective Semi-glossy. Particularly describing a type of paint.
  • noun A cloth woven from silk, nylon or polyester with a glossy surface and a dull back. (The same weaving technique applied to cotton produces cloth termed sateen).

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

  • noun a smooth fabric of silk or rayon; has a glossy face and a dull back

Etymologies

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

[Middle English satyn, zatayn, from Old French satayn, zatin, zettonin, probably ultimately from Arabic (’aṭlas) zaytūnī, (satin) of Zaitun, from Zaytūn, Quanzhou, China (an important international trading center in medieval times), an Arabization (probably influenced by Arabic zaytūn, olive) of Middle Chinese tshz̩ tɦəwŋ, an early name for Quanzhou (also the source of Mandarin Cìtóng (chéng), former name of Quanzhou).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French satin, perhaps from Arabic الساتان زيتون ("satin from Zaitun"), a city in China, perhaps 新疆, Tsinkiang in the Fukien province, a port during the middle ages. The word's form is perhaps influenced by French seta ("silk"). OED finds the Arabic theory insupportable and instead suggests the French word as coming directly from Latin.

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