The origin of the term “chintzy” can be traced back to the name of the cotton fabric known as “chintz,” which is not inherently gaudy or cheap. The negative connotation of “chintzy” emerged in the mid-19th century when British textile factories started producing low-quality imitations of the original handmade chintz from India.
The English word “chintz” was borrowed from Hindi in the early 17th century, where it referred to the fabric. The term originated from Sanskrit, meaning bright, spotted, or variegated.
The adjective “chintzy” first appeared in the 19th century, evolving to describe something as suburban, unfashionable, petit-bourgeois, cheap, or stingy.
According to Sarah Fee, editor of Cloth That Changed the World: The Art and Fashion of Indian Chintz, “chintzy” gained its negative sense when British factories flooded the market with inexpensive imitations of chintz, making the fabric widely accessible to the masses and stripping it of its luxury connotations.
The term “cheetah,” referring to the large spotted cat, also has roots in Hindi and Sanskrit, meaning bright, spotted, or variegated.
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