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Meaning & History
From the English word calico referring to something having a pattern of red and contrasting areas, specially the tri-coloured cat, resembling the color of calico cloth, a kind of rough cloth often printed with a bright pattern. Derived from Calicut, an Anglicized form of Kozhikode (from Malayalam കോഴിക്കോട് (kōḻikkōṭ), koyil "palace" combined with kota "fort, fortified palace"), the name of a city in southwestern India from where the cloth was originally exported.A noted bearer is John Rackham (1682 – 1720), commonly known as Calico Jack, an English pirate captain operating in the Bahamas and in Cuba during the early 18th century, his nickname derived from the calico clothing he wore.