1924. _ciclatoun_, a costly material. From the O. Fr. _ciclaton_, the name of a costly cloth. [It was early confused with the Latin _cyclas_, which Ducange explains by 'vestis species, et panni genus.' The word _cyclas_ occurs in Juvenal (Sat. vi. 259), and is explained to mean a robe worn most often by women, and adorned with a border of gold or purple; see also Propertius, iv. 7. 40.] _Ciclatoun_, however, is of Eastern origin, as was well suggested in the following note by Col. Yule in his edition of Marco Polo, i. 249:-- 'The term _suklát_ is applied in the Punjab trade-returns to _broadcloth_. Does not this point to the real nature of the _siclatoun_ of the Middle Ages? It is, indeed, often spoken of as used for banners, which implies that it was not a heavy woollen. But it was also a material for ladies' robes, for quilts, leggings, housings, pavilions. Michel does not decide what it was, only that it was generally _red_ and wrought with gold. Dozy renders it "silk stuff brocaded with gold," but this seems conjectural. Dr. Rock says it was a thin glossy silken stuff, often with a woof of gold thread, and seems to derive it from the Arabic _sakl_, "polishing" (a sword), which is improbable.' Compare the following examples, shewing its use for tents, banners, &c.:-- [186] 'Off silk, cendale, and _syclatoun_ Was the emperours pavyloun';... 'Kyng Richard took the pavylouns Off sendels and off _sykelatouns_'; Rich. Coer de Lion (Weber, ii. 90 and 201). 'There was mony gonfanoun Of gold, sendel, and _siclatoun_'; Kyng Alisaunder (Weber, i. 85). Richardson's Pers. and Arab. Dict. (ed. Johnson, 1829), p. 837, gives: 'Pers. _saqlat[=u]n_, scarlet cloth (whence Arab. _siql[=a]t_, a fine painted or figured cloth)'; and the derivation is probably (as given in the New E. Dict.) from the very Pers. word which has given us the word _scarlet_; so that it was originally named from its colour. It was afterwards applied to various kinds of costly materials, which were sometimes embroidered with gold. See _Ciclaton_ in Godefroy, and in the New E. Dict.; and _Scarlet_ in my Etym. Dictionary. The matter has been much confused by a mistaken notion of Spenser's. Not observing that Sir Thopas is here described in his robes of _peace_, not in those of _war_ (as in a later stanza), he followed Thynne's spelling, viz. _chekelatoun_, and imagined this to mean 'that kind of guilded leather with which they [the Irish] use to embroder theyr Irish jackes'; View of the State of Ireland, in Globe edition, p. 639, col. 2. And this notion he carried out still more boldly in the lines-- 'But in a jacket, quilted richly rare Upon _cheklaton_, he was straungely dight'; F. Q. vi. 7. 43.