< University of Manchester, Lexis of Cloth & Clothing Project, Search Result For: 'cameline'

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The Lexis of Cloth and Clothing Project

cameline

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Searchable Lemmata: camelin (AF), camelin (ME), camelinus (L), cameline (MdE).
Alternate Forms: camaletus, cameli, camelota, camelotus, camely, camlin, chamelin, cameline.

    Definitions and Defining Citations:

1(n.) Textile; luxury fabric thought to be made from wool and silk or other fibres (originally thought, probably falsely, to contain camel's hair; or used of fabric resembling camel's hair), in various colours. Geniune camel hair fabric certainly existed on the Continent, and though not documented before the 13th century, was probably in use before that; Ditchfield, P. (2007), pp . 346-7. Used as a count noun and as a mass noun. Earlier cameline came from (or was associated with) the Mediterranian region and may have been of varying price and quality (cf. DMLBS, Cl 26 below: 'kamelino ultramarino'; also, two 'Camelin’ de Tripl' [Tripoli?]' appear in the wardrobe accounts of Bogo de Clare, each costing 16s. 2d., '‘The Wardrobe and household accounts of Bogo de Clare, A.D. 1284-6’ [Giuseppi, M.S. (1918), 9 & 30]. Stella M. Newton notes that by the early 1350s 'camelin ... was the cloth most generally worn by members of the French royal family' [Newton, S. M. (1980), 28].(ante 1250 - ante 1900 ?)
1. mittatis nobis pannos subscriptos ... viz. ... iiij burnetas nigras, duas camelinas de medio colore Accounts, Legal. [DMLBS Cl (261) 1244]
2. faciant habere robas integras de bono griso kamelino ultramarino (cf. Cl. 93: j robam ad opus regis de camelino de Caumbrey Accounts, Legal. [DMLBS Cl (26) 1257]
3. un bon drap e fyn d’escarlet, e un autre fyn camely [AND Lett EPW (120) 1304/1305]
4. deus mauntels de camelyn [AND Sel Bills Eyre (19) 1292/1334]
5. Þe cloth was ryche & wele fyne; Þe chaumpe it was of red camelyne [vr. chamelyn]. [MED LChart.Chr.A ((RwlPoet 175) 40/218) ante 1425]
6. Is þam na surcote of silke ne serkis of raynes, Ne kirtils of camlyn bot as þam kynd leues Heroic, Historic, Poetic, Romance. [MED Wars Alex. ((Ashm 44) 4339-40) circa 1450]
7. supertunica cum capucio de bruno camolino lineata Accounts. [DMLBS Ac. Exec. Ep. Lond. (56b) 1303]
8. camelinus, A. camelyn Gloss. [DMLBS WW (camelinus)]
c.f.: camlet
AF, L, ME, MdE.
Sex: N/A    Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.

    Etymological Evidence:

Definite, AF camelin from Central French chamelin. Adjectival form ultimately from Classical Latin (camelinus = of a camel, camel-coloured).
WF:
Etym Cog:
References: