Silesia
//saɪˈliːziə// name, noun
name, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Silesian textile made of flax or cotton. countable, uncountable
""Say I can't dress a window, you thundering old Humbug," he said, and hurled the huckaback at his master. He followed this up by pitching first a blanket, then an armful of silesia, then a window support out of the window into the shop."
- 2 a sturdy twill-weave cotton fabric; used for pockets and linings wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A cultural region of Central Europe, now chiefly in Poland, with small portions in the Czech Republic and Germany, from early modernity until 1945 predominantly German-speaking with Slavic-speaking minorities (and local majorities).
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"His grandparents hail from Silesia."
Etymology
Uncertain. Two theories are prominent: a relation to the Germanic Silingi tribe, whose name is attested in Ancient Greek Σιλίγγαι (Silíngai). Or, from Old Polish ślęg, śląg meaning "dampness, humidity, moisture." More at Ślęża and Silesia.
Related phrases
More for "silesia"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.