fustian

1. a. A coarse sturdy cloth made of cotton and flax.
   b. Any of several thick twilled cotton fabrics, such as corduroy, having a short nap.
2. Pretentious speech or writing; pompous language.

1. Made of or as if of fustian: “[He] disliked the heavy, fustian … and brocaded decor of Soviet officialdom” (Frederick Forsyth).
2. Pompous, bombastic, and ranting: “Yossarian was unmoved by the fustian charade of the burial ceremony” (Joseph Heller).

Origin:

Origin: Middle English

Origin: , from Old French fustaigne

Origin: , from Medieval Latin fūstānum, fūstiānum

Origin: , possibly from Latin fūstis, wooden stick, club (translation of Greek xulinos, wood-linen, cotton)

Origin: or from El Fostat (El Fustat), a section of Cairo, Egypt