Tulle is he or she: the origin of the word, its meaning and genus

This thing today, no doubt, is in every house. Already more than a hundred years it is an integral attribute of the interior of any home in the CIS, regardless of the level of prosperity of its owner. It's about tulle, which decorates almost every window. Despite frequent use, the word "tulle" is the leader among nouns of the Russian language, in the definition of the grammatical gender of which most people make a mistake. So, to what genus does the term "tulle" belong, from where did he come into Russian and what does it mean?

Meaning of the word

Today, many believe that tulle is just a specialized fabric for curtaining windows in the daytime. However, this opinion is not entirely true, since originally this material was intended to decorate dresses and underwear, but only then it was perceived as a purely curtain fabric.

Due to its lightness, elegance and transparency, this material in the old days was a serious competitor to lace, differing from them only by the method of manufacture and a lighter structure.

Tulle, or bobinet, as it is sometimes called this kind of matter, in its structure is something middle between woven and woven cloth. Traditionally, tulle consists of their threads of longitudinal base, which do not intertwine with each other, but are wound with so-called bobbin threads.

Unlike lace, which was initially made by hand, tulle was made from the very beginning on special tulle machines. As a material of threads, cotton yarn of high twist, sometimes lavsan, kapron fibers is used. With regard to the manufacture of fabric with a pattern, then for this use volumetric threads (bean, melan), viscose or yarn.

It is interesting that even today more expensive types of tulle continue to be used as inserts on silk night coats, expensive underwear and even in decorating wedding dresses, but some unknowingly confuse it with lace or tulle.

Seeing the tulle

Tulle is distinguished by its color and the presence or absence of a pattern.

So, according to the color, a colored, white tulle or mottled is selected. The most common - white shade or monophonic pastel tones.

As for the manufacturing method, there are two varieties of this material: smooth and patterned tulle.

Initially, the whole tulle was smooth, but as the technology of its making improved, the masters learned to weave entertaining patterns on the tulle fabric. As for the simplest difference between these species, it is worth remembering that the smooth is made on the basis of two thread systems, while the more complex - patterned - consists of three thread systems.

Where did the name "tulle" come from in Russian?

This word, like many other names of fabrics, originated in France. Although tulle was originally produced in Great Britain in the second half of the 18th century, this material was popular and popular thanks to the inhabitants of the small French town of Tulle. They were in the XIX century. Became the largest producers in Europe of this fine and elegant material, which was later named after the city itself. This name, practically unchanged, migrated to most languages. So, in English it is called tulle, in German - tüll, in Polish - tiul, in Spanish - tul, Belarusian - "tsul", and in Russian - "tulle".

"Tulle": what kind of word is this

For many, it will be a surprise, however, "tulle" is not at all feminine, as many believe, but masculine. In other words, it's not right to say "what a beautiful tulle is in your house", but "you have a very beautiful tulle".

The reason that a word that has the most features of the female gender of the Russian language, nevertheless does not apply to it, is that in the French tulle is a masculine noun. And if you remember that at the beginning of the XIX century. All the elite of the Russian Empire spoke excellent French, and sometimes much better than in their native language, it becomes clear that the masculine gender was appropriated to the word by analogy with the original source.

History of the error with the genus of the word "tulle"

In the Russian Empire, this material came from France, and soon its French name tulle became familiar to the hearing of Russians. Despite the fact that domestic linguists determined that "tulle" is a masculine noun, the common people and merchants who traded this elegant material simply did not know all these subtleties. Therefore, they tended this name by analogy with the words "pain", "night", "daughter" and the like, and also from the fact that tulle is a fabric, it turns out "she", not "he".

After the revolution, most of those who knew that "tulle" was a masculine noun were forced to emigrate to Europe or America. And it turned out that in the minds of the majority of the remaining inhabitants of the USSR, the opinion was consolidated that this name refers to the feminine gender.

Declension of the word "tulle" by case

Learning that this name refers to the masculine gender, we are wondering how to properly bow to it. To avoid mistakes and not to memorize the correct forms of a given noun in different cases, one can simply remember that the name "tulle" can be inclined by analogy with the word "piano", and not only in singular, but also in the plural.

Today, thanks to the development of digital technologies in an emergency, everyone can check the spelling of an unknown word using a smartphone using a special grammar application. However, it is best not to blindly rely on technology, but remember the most common exceptions to the rules. In particular, the fact that not only the word "coffee" (drink) is masculine, but also the name of light, transparent, French fabric is "tulle".