[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/antimacassar.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / antimacassar

[← A](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/A/)

# antimacassar

«antimacassar» in Mova's school dictionary: **a small cloth, often lacy, put over the back or arms of a…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (an antimacassar, antimacassars)

### meaning for a pupil

An antimacassar is a small cloth, often lacy, put over the back or arms of a chair or sofa to keep it clean. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/antimacassar/#m1)

### sense in the lessons

In Victorian and Edwardian times men put Macassar oil on their hair, which stained chairs; the cloth was «anti» (against) the Macassar oil. In history lessons about Victorian homes and in old books, the word shows an old-fashioned, tidy parlour. Trains and planes still sometimes have them on headrests.

### examples

- Grandma's armchair had a lace antimacassar. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/antimacassar/#x1)
- Antimacassars kept hair oil off the chairs. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/antimacassar/#x2)
- The Victorian parlour was full of antimacassars and ornaments. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/antimacassar/#x3)
- The train seats had white antimacassars. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/antimacassar/#x4)
- She crocheted an antimacassar for the sofa. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/antimacassar/#x5)
- The word comes from Macassar hair oil. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/antimacassar/#x6)

### note

Countable. A long word: an-ti-ma-CASS-ar. Old-fashioned; today people may say «chair back cover».

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «antimacassar» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/antimacassar/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.