''paisley'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260817185222-00-⌔

paisley - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

🖼️ ➺

Noun

paisley (countable and uncountable, plural paisleys)

• A motif of a swirling droplet.
  • ✤ Synonyms: boteh, Persian pickle, Welsh pear
• A soft woollen fabric having this motif.

Adjective

paisley (not comparable)

• Made from this fabric, or marked with this design.
  • ✤ I shall be wearing a Paisley shawl with a red centre, and thus may easily be found.¹
  • ✤ He would be in his paisley silk dressing gown.²

Etymology

From Paisley, Renfrewshire, in Scotland, where shawls of this kind were woven in the 1800s.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpeɪzli/

Printed 2026-08-17.

(echo:: @ ⌗)

Footnotes

1. 1886, Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge: ↩

2. 2014, Ian McEwan, The Children Act, Penguin Random House (2018), page 173: ↩