# satin

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈsæt.ɪn/ · frequency rank #17,476

## Definitions
1. A cloth woven from silk, nylon or polyester with a glossy surface and a dull back. (The same weaving technique applied to cotton produces cloth termed sateen).
2. Gin (the drink).

## Etymology
From French satin, which is derived from "Zaitun", the Arabic name for the Chinese city of Quanzhou, itself derived from Arabic زَيْتُون (zaytūn, “Zayton; olive”), from phono-semantic matching from Chinese 刺桐 (MC tshjeH duwng, “coral tree”) in 刺桐城 (MC tshjeH duwng dzyeng, “coral tree town”), an old name for Quanzhou.

## Easily confused with
- **sin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/satin-vs-sin)
- **STI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/satin-vs-sti)
- **skin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/satin-vs-skin)
- **spin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/satin-vs-spin)
- **stan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/satin-vs-stan)
- **stir** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/satin-vs-stir)
- **shin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/satin-vs-shin)
- **stun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/satin-vs-stun)
- **Sato** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/satin-vs-sato)
- **stig** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/satin-vs-stig)
- **sawn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/satin-vs-sawn)
- **SETI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/satin-vs-seti)
- **Spain** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/satin-vs-spain)
- **sting** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/satin-vs-sting)
- **stain** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/satin-vs-stain)
- **stein** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/satin-vs-stein)
- **stint** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/satin-vs-stint)
- **Saxon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/satin-vs-saxon)
- **slain** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/satin-vs-slain)
- **stink** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/satin-vs-stink)

## Common misspellings (5)
`astin`, `satinn`, `satni`, `sattin`, `ssatin`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/satin