Meaning & use
percale
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountabletechnical
A type of closely woven cotton cloth with a smooth, slightly crisp finish, often used for bed sheets.
Grammar: Use it without 'a' for the material: sheets made of percale. Use 'a' when naming one type: a crisp percale.
Patterns
- made of percale
- a percale sheet
- 100% cotton percale
These sheets are made of percale, so they feel cool and crisp.
She prefers percale to flannel because it stays smooth in summer.
The label says the pillowcases are a fine white percale.
noununcountabletechnical
Sheets or bedding made from this closely woven cotton cloth.
Grammar: Used like a mass noun for bedding: change the percale, buy new percale.
Patterns
- buy new percale
- wash the percale
We bought new percale for the guest room.
The hotel changes the percale every day.
Word forms
| plural | percales |
|---|
Common combinations
- cotton percale
- The shop sells cotton percale in several colors.
- percale sheets
- Percale sheets feel cooler than many other kinds.
- a high thread count percale
- A high thread count percale can feel very smooth.
- crisp percale
- I like the crisp percale on hotel beds.
- percale bedding
- They ordered percale bedding for the whole family.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cotton
- Cotton is the general material; percale is a specific weave of cotton, so use cotton when you mean the fiber, not the weave.
- linen
- Linen is a different fabric made from flax; it is often cooler and more textured than percale.
- muslin
- Muslin is a lighter, looser cotton cloth, so it is softer and less crisp than percale.
Word family
- percale adjective
- Used before a noun to describe items made of this cloth, as in percale sheets.
Commonly confused: percale or percale?
percale vs percale
Do not confuse percale with 'percale' in French, where it sounds similar but is not an English word. Also avoid mixing it up with 'percaline,' a glossy cotton fabric.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'percale' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Percale' is a noun (and sometimes an adjective before a noun), so it can describe sheets. The other options use it as a verb or adjective in ways that are not English.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “percale”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.