calico

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)A kind of rough cloth made from unbleached and not fully processed cotton, often printed with a bright pattern.

   “This helix was covered with calico, and then a second wire applied in the same manner.”

   “Trussed in corsets, jawbone-high collars and calicos that had seen better days, they have little enough to work with, their attempts at coquetry further constrained by their rigid mores of the day.”

2. (abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis)Ellipsis of calico cat.

   “One of them, a calico whose half-grown kittens he just fed, slow-blinks at him, an affectionate gesture.”

3. (uncountable)The plant disease caused by Tobacco mosaic virus.

adj

1. (not-comparable)Made of calico or resembling the color of calico cloth, having a pattern of red and contrasting areas; variegated.

   “The calico cat had distinctive red and dark markings.”

   “The calico-patterned tablecloths were supposed to make the restaurant look rustic; instead, they made it look run down.”

   “Sara, oh Sara / Scorpio Sphinx in a calico dress”

2. (not-comparable)Made of calico or resembling the color of calico cloth, having a pattern of red and contrasting areas; variegated.