oilcloth

Noun

oilcloth (countable and uncountable, plural oilcloths)

1. A fabric or cloth treated on one side with a waterproof covering, especially one made from linseed oil etc.; used for flooring, tablecloths, kitchen shelves and sometimes furniture covering.
   • A substitute for the bath-room is a large piece of oilcloth, which can be laid upon the floor of the ordinary dressing-room. Upon this may be placed the bath-tub or basin.1876, Eliza Bisbee Duffey, Our Behaviour: A Manual of Etiquette and Dress of the Best American Society, Philadelphia
   • Ignatius pounded a paw into the oilcloth on the kitchen table.1963 (date written), John Kennedy Toole, chapter 9, in A Confederacy of Dunces, London: Penguin Books, published 1980 (1981 printing), →ISBN, page 184

   Synonyms:

   American cloth, linoleum, leathercloth, waxcloth