THE ILLUSTRATED REFERENCE

Glossary

A clear, practical reference to the textile words you may meet while browsing or shopping.

Saree enthusiast exploring textile samples and terminology

Plain-English glossary for quick reference

ILLUSTRATED STUDY

Sixteen terms, illustrated

Illustrated examples of sixteen words you will meet often, grouped by what they describe. The images are illustrative examples rather than records of particular sarees; the complete glossary follows below.

Fabric and material What the cloth or its yarn is

Zari

Metallic or metallic-looking decorative yarn; composition varies.

Katan

A traditional twisted-silk yarn name, also used for cloth made from it.

Kora

A variable trade name often used for airy, crisp silk or silk-organza cloth.

Tissue

A saree-shop name for shimmering, often metallic-effect cloth.

Ghicha

Irregular silk yarn used for textured cloth with visible yarn variation.

Brocade

Cloth with decorative patterns woven into its construction.

Jamdani

Decorative weaving in which motifs are introduced into fine cloth.

Ikat

Pattern made by selectively dyeing yarn sections before weaving.

Meenakari

Coloured thread accents within motifs in some brocade traditions.

Cutwork

A context-dependent name: cut-out embroidery or cut-float brocade work.

Buti

A small decorative motif repeated across the cloth.

Buta

A larger individual motif, such as a flower or paisley.

Jaal

A connected network of repeated designs.

Pallu

The decorative end usually draped over the shoulder.

Temple border

A border with repeated triangular or stepped temple-like forms.

Korvai

A traditional joining method used for certain contrasting woven borders.

Go to the complete glossary ↓

This is a quick lookup section, not a substitute for the fuller explanations above. Entries deliberately stay short. When a word is used loosely by shops, that is stated instead of pretending it always has one universal definition.

Materials, yarns and fabrics↗

Term	Plain-English meaning
Art silk	Artificial silk; a trade name for silk-like material, often viscose or polyester.
Charmeuse	Light satin-faced fabric with a highly glossy front and duller back; can be silk or synthetic.
Crepe de Chine	Fine, soft crepe fabric, often silk, with a lightly textured surface.
Ghicha / Gicha	Irregular, often coarse silk yarn used for characterfully textured cloth.
Habutai	Light, smooth plain-weave silk often used for printing.
Khaddi crepe	Trade expression for a crepe-style cloth often described as handloom; not a silk-fibre species.
Mango silk	Unstandardized commercial label; actual fibre content needs verification.
Mashru	Traditional glossy-faced fabric, commonly using silk and cotton.
Noil silk	Silk spun from shorter fibres; often soft and matte with small nubs.
Pattu	Common South Indian word for silk, particularly in saree names.
Sico	Retail abbreviation for silk–cotton; not necessarily pure silk.
Silk charmeuse	Charmeuse fabric made specifically from natural silk.
Blended fabric	Cloth made with more than one fibre, such as silk and cotton.
Brocade	Cloth with decorative patterns woven into it, sometimes using extra metallic-looking threads.
Chiffon	Very light, sheer fabric that falls into soft folds.
Cotton	Natural fibre obtained from cotton plants.
Crepe	A broad family of fabrics with crinkled or finely pebbled surfaces.
Dupion / Dupioni	Silk fabric often recognized by thicker and thinner places in its threads.
Eri	Non-mulberry silk often used in softly textured, matte fabrics.
Fabric	The cloth made from yarn; not the same as its raw fibre.
Fibre	The basic material from which yarn is made.
Filament	A long, continuous fibre; reeled silk can supply filament yarn.
Georgette	Fluid fabric with a lightly grainy surface, often silk or synthetic.
Handle / hand	What a fabric feels like to touch.
Khadi	Hand-spun, handwoven cloth; may use cotton, silk, wool or combinations.
Katan	Traditional name for twisted silk yarn, also used for sarees woven from it.
Kora	A variable trade name, often used for airy, crisp silk or silk organza in saree shops.
Linen	Natural fibre obtained from flax plants and the cloth made from it.
Lustre	The way a surface reflects light; does not mean it contains zari.
Lyocell	Regenerated cellulose fibre often used in soft, drapable fabrics.
Matka	Silk cloth commonly made from spun fibres, giving a textured surface.
Modal	Regenerated cellulose fibre commonly used for soft fabrics.
Muga	Silk especially known for its natural golden hue.
Mulberry silk	Widely used natural silk produced by silkworms usually fed on mulberry leaves.
Mulmul	Very light, soft cotton fabric.
Muslin	Fine, lightweight fabric traditionally associated with exceptionally fine cotton.
Organza	Light, sheer cloth that holds its shape; may be silk or synthetic.
Polyester	Synthetic fibre that can be made into several very different kinds of cloth.
Pure silk	A claim about silk fibre content, not about handloom or zari.
Raw silk	Technically an intermediate silk material; often loosely used in shops for textured silk.
Rayon	Broad name for manufactured cellulose-derived fibres, including viscose.
Satin	Glossy, smooth-faced fabric construction; can be silk or synthetic.
Sheer	Transparent enough to see something through the cloth.
Silk–cotton	Cloth containing both silk and cotton, in varying proportions.
Slub	A thicker uneven section along a yarn.
Spun yarn	Yarn made by twisting shorter fibres together.
Tissue	Saree-shop name for shimmering, often metallic-effect cloth.
Tussar / Tasar	Non-mulberry silk often associated with a soft, textured lustre.
Viscose	Manufactured cellulose-derived fibre; frequently soft and fluid.
Voile	Fine, airy fabric, often cotton or cotton blends.
Warp	Threads running along the length of woven cloth; also called tana.
Weft	Threads crossing the width of woven cloth; also called bana.
Yarn	Thread made from fibres, used to create fabric.

Shapes, layout and saree anatomy↗

Term	Plain-English meaning
Aanchal	Another name for the pallu, the saree's shoulder end.
All-over	Decoration across most or all of the body.
Ambi	Mango/paisley-shaped motif; related to kairi.
Antique gold	Muted old-gold colour effect, not proof of real gold content.
Bel	Continuous vine, often with leaves or flowers.
Bel-patti	Leafy vine or leaf-scroll design.
Body	Main length/field of the saree outside the border and pallu.
Border	Decorative band along the long edge of a saree.
Buta	Larger individual motif such as a flower or paisley.
Buti	Small decorative motif repeated across the fabric.
Chakra	Wheel or circular symbolic motif.
Checks	Crossed lines forming squares or rectangles.
Chevron	Repeated V-shaped or zigzag lines.
Contrast border	Border in a visibly different colour from the body.
Diamond motif	Pointed four-sided shape repeated in a design.
Ganga–Jamuna	Two long borders of different colours or treatments.
Ground	Background cloth beneath or around a decorative motif.
Jaal	Connected network of repeated designs.
Jangla	Dense, elaborate intertwining floral/vine pattern.
Kairi	Mango-shaped curved paisley motif.
Kalga	Decorative plume-like or curving botanical motif; usage varies.
Khat	Small check or square associated with Kota Doria fabric.
Konia	Decorative motif placed at a corner, often where border and pallu meet.
Lotus	Stylised lotus-flower design.
Motif	One decorative shape, such as a flower or bird.
Munia	Small parrot-like bird motif in some traditional sarees.
Narrative pallu	Pallu with people or scenes arranged like pictures telling a story.
Paisley	Curved teardrop or mango-like ornamental shape.
Pallu	Decorative end usually draped over the shoulder.
Pattern	The arrangement or repetition of decorative shapes.
Peacock motif	Stylised peacock or peacock tail.
Selvedge	Finished lengthwise edge of woven cloth, distinct from the ornamental border.
Shankha	Conch-shell motif.
Shikargah	Hunting-scene pattern with animals and sometimes people.
Statement pallu	Fashion description for a strongly decorated or eye-catching pallu.
Stripes	Parallel bands of colour or design.
Temple border	Border with repeated triangular or stepped, temple-like shapes.
Tone-on-tone	Decoration close in colour to its background.

Decoration and pattern-making methods↗

Term	Plain-English meaning
Ajrakh	Traditional complex resist/block-print textile practice, often richly geometric.
Bandhani / Bandhej	Tiny dotted designs made by tying cloth before dyeing.
Batik	Decoration made by using wax to block dye.
Block print	Pattern applied using carved printing blocks.
Chikankari	Fine embroidery strongly associated with Lucknow.
Cutwork	Context-dependent: may mean cut-out embroidery or cut-float brocade work.
Digital print	Pattern placed on cloth using a computer-controlled printing process.
Double Ikat	Both lengthwise and crosswise yarns dyed in advance to form the pattern.
Fekwa / Phekua	Decorative weft carried across wider sections in certain brocade methods.
Gota Patti	Shiny ribbon or trim applied in decorative shapes.
Ikat	Design made by dyeing selected parts of yarn before weaving.
Jamdani	Decorative weaving in which motifs are introduced into fine cloth.
Kadwa / Kadhua	Individually worked woven decorative motifs in certain brocade traditions.
Kalamkari	Drawn or block-printed textile decoration with a strong floral/narrative tradition.
Kantha	Running-stitch embroidery associated particularly with Bengal.
Kimkhab / Kinkhab	Name for especially sumptuous, densely ornamented brocade.
Korvai	Traditional method used for joining certain contrasting woven borders.
Leheriya	Rajasthani resist-dyed diagonal, wave-like stripes.
Meenakari	Coloured thread accents within motifs in some brocade traditions.
Petni	Joining approach associated with certain traditional contrast pallus.
Rangkat	Multi-colour design arrangement particularly associated with Banarasi textiles.
Shibori	Family of pattern-making methods using folded, tied, compressed or stitched resist dyeing.
Single Ikat	One main set of yarns resist-dyed to form the design.
Tanchoi	Fine, often richly repeated figured silk design tradition.
Tope Teni	Traditional method of joining body and pallu sections in Ilkal sarees.
Zardozi	Rich, often raised embroidery using metallic-looking elements and embellishment.
Zari	Metallic or metallic-looking decorative thread; composition varies.

Regional saree names↗

Name	Remember it by…
Arani	Tamil Nadu silk tradition with varied rich borders and pallus.
Assam Eri	Often soft, relatively matte silk character.
Assam Muga	Natural golden silk.
Baluchari	Figural story panels on a decorative silk pallu.
Banarasi	Broad Varanasi tradition including florals, silk brocades and sheer styles.
Bandhani	Tied-dot designs, particularly associated with Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Bhagalpuri Tussar	Textured silk associated with Bihar's Bhagalpur market.
Bomkai	Odisha tradition noted for distinctive border and pallu designs.
Chanderi	Fine, often sheer cloth with delicate motifs.
Chettinad	Colourful, boldly checked or striped cotton.
Chikankari saree	Saree decorated with Lucknow-associated embroidery.
Dhaniakhali	Practical Bengal cotton with characteristic borders.
Dharmavaram	Ceremonial Andhra silk with rich borders.
Eri silk	Non-mulberry silk often noted for a softer, less glossy texture.
Gadwal	Often cotton body with silk border and pallu, plus variants.
Garad / Korial	Pale Bengal ceremonial silks, frequently with red-bordered styling.
Gharchola	Gujarati ceremonial grid filled with decorative dots and designs.
Ilkal	Karnataka tradition with contrasting borders and striped pallu.
Kanjivaram	The silk saree tradition of Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu — also called Kanchipuram or Kancheepuram silk (GI: Kancheepuram Silk), sometimes spelt Kanchivaram; often strong body-border contrast and ceremonial pallu.
Kashmiri embroidery	Paisley, chinar and floral embroidery on textile surfaces.
Kerala Kasavu	Off-white or ivory cloth with gold-coloured border.
Kotpad	Earthy-coloured textile tradition associated with southern Odisha.
Maheshwari	Maheshwar tradition with geometric borders, checks and stripes.
Mangalagiri	Often plain-bodied cloth with clean borders.
Murshidabad	Light regional Bengal silks, often printed or painted.
Mysore silk	Smooth, often simply bordered polished silk.
Narayanpet	Telangana tradition with stripes, checks and borders.
Paithani	Maharashtra silk famous for decorated bird/floral pallus.
Panetar	Gujarati bridal style often ivory or white with red.
Pasapalli	Odisha saree recognized by bold grid/check layouts.
Patan Patola	Gujarat silk tradition famous for precise double Ikat.
Pochampally	Telangana Ikat, often strongly geometric.
Sambalpuri	Odisha Bandha/Ikat with characteristic regional motifs.
Swarnachari	Metallic-looking narrative/pictorial silk tradition related to Baluchari.
Tangail	Fine eastern Indian/Bangladeshi textile traditions with neat ornament.
Uppada	Fine Andhra silk, often with delicate Jamdani decoration.
Venkatagiri	Andhra textile tradition often valued for fine and delicate fabrics.