Fustian (Fus'-Tyan). [From Fustat, a suburb of Cario, Egypt, whence the stuff first came] In present use a stout, twilled cotton fabric, especially that which has a short nap, variously called corduroy, moleskin, beaverteen, thickset, etc., according to the way it is finished. Among the various trades which anciently distinguished Barcelona, Spain, one of the most famous and useful was that of cotton manufacture. These artisans prepared and spun cotton for the numerous stuffs used in those times, principally for the manufacture of cotton sail cloth, and strong fustians for sailors' breeches - for Barcelona was for more than 500 years a station of the Spanish Armadas. These early fustians was then, as now, of cotton, or of cotton weft and linen warp. In the 13th and 14th centuries priests' robes and women's dresses were made of it, there being both cheap and costly varieties. It appears to have been worn where strength and durability were required. Through the invention and adoption of other fabrics its use has gradually been confined to laborers and servants. [See Corduroy, Moleskin, Beaverteen, Thickset]