satin
n. C / Un. a smooth, shiny fabric that feels very soft. It is often used to make fancy clothes like dresses or bed sheets.
n. a fabric weave that creates a smooth, lustrous surface and a dull back, typically made from silk or synthetic fibers.
She wore a beautiful dress made of blue satin.
The interior of the jewelry box was lined with white satin to protect the delicate pearls.
The designer chose a heavy silk satin for the gown to ensure it would drape elegantly and catch the light during the evening gala.
From French satin, which is derived from "Zaitun", the Arabic name for the Chinese city of Quanzhou, itself derived from Arabic زَيْتُون (zaytūn, “Zayton; olive”), from phono-semantic matching from Chinese 刺桐 (MC tshjeH duwng, “coral tree”) in 刺桐城 (MC tshjeH duwng dzyeng, “coral tree town”), an old name for Quanzhou.
Uncountable when referring to the material in general; countable when referring to specific types or varieties of the fabric.