Obs. Forms: 3 ciclatun(e, 3–5 (9 Hist.) ciclatoun, 4 siclatoun, sikelatoun, syclatoun, 5 sicladoun, siklatoun, ciclatoune, syclatowne, syklatown, 6 shecklaton, CHECKLATON. [a. OF. ciclaton, -un, chiclaton, ciglaton, siglaton, segleton, senglaton, singlaton; also in Sp. ciclaton, Pr. sisclato (Diez), also MHG. ciclât, ziklât, siglât, and siklatîn. The source of the names found in most European langs. in the Middle Ages, appears to have been Arabic (orig. Pers.) siqilāṭūn, also siqilāṭ, siqalāṭ, saqalāṭ, (acc. to Mr. J. Platts) from siqillāṭ, siqallāṭ, for saqirlāṭ, saqarlāṭ, Arabicized form of Pers. sakarlāt, the same word which has given SCARLET. The primary meaning was ‘scarlet cloth,’ later ‘fine painted or figured cloth,’ ‘cloth of gold.’
Diez took ciclaton as a deriv. of L. cyclas-adem, a Gr. κυκλάς, -άδα, ‘a state robe of women with a border running round it.’ Dozy, Suppl. Arab. Lex., appears to derive the Arabic from cyclas. Du Cange also identified cyclas and ciclatun, and it is possible that the two words were, from their similarity, confused in Europe in the Middle Ages. Cf. cyclatum in Du Cange.]
A precious material much esteemed in the Middle Ages; in the first quot. perhaps‘ scarlet cloth’; in others it is cloth of gold or other rich material. Perh. sometimes, a robe or mantle of this stuff (cf. Godefroy).
a. 1225. Juliana, 8. Al þe tur wes bitild wið purpre, wið pal, & wið ciclatun.
a. 1240. Ureisun of ure Lefdi, 193. Al þin hird is i-schrud mid hwite ciclatune.
[1295. Inv. St. Paul’s Cath., in Monasticon Angl., III. 316 (Du Cange). Capa Johannis Maunself de panno aureo qui vocatur ciclaton.]
c. 1325. Coer de L., 2308. Of silk, cendale, and syclatoun, Was the emperour’s pavyloun.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Sir Thopas’ T., 23. His Robe was of Syklatoun That coste many a Jane.
c. 1400. St. Alexius (Laud 622), 397. Ciclatounes þat weren of prijs, Pelured wiþ Ermyne & wiþ grijs, Alte she cast away.
¶ The word became obs. app. by 1400: the following are notices or conjectures of later writers.
1596. Spenser, State Irel., Wks. (1862), 525/1. Chaucer … describeth Sir Thopas apparell … as hee went to fight … in his robe of shecklaton, which is that kind of guilded leather with which they use to imbroyder their Irish iackets.
1849–53. Rock, Ch. of Fathers, II. 279. Ciclatoun and baudekin and every other sort of cloth of gold. Ibid. (1876), Text. Fabr., 26.
