noun
- Plural of haircloth; a stiff fabric woven from horsehair or camel hair, often mixed with cotton or linen, used for upholstery, stiffening garments, or as a penitential garment.
Usage: Usually used in plural form; Historical or specialized textile context
Examples
- The antique sofa was upholstered with haircloths that had worn thin over decades.
- Medieval monks sometimes wore haircloths as a form of self-mortification.
- The tailor used haircloths to reinforce the structure of the jacket's lapels.
- Haircloths were popular in Victorian furniture for their durability and stiffness.
- The museum displayed samples of haircloths used in 19th-century garment construction.