The name of a town in France (now Lille), used attrib. in Lisle glove, lace, thread (see quots.).
1851. Illustr. Catal. Gt. Exhib., 201. Fast cotton dyeing for Lisle thread gloves.
1858. Simmonds, Dict. Trade, Lisle-gloves, fine thread gloves for summer wear. Lille-lace, Lisle-lace, a light, fine and transparent white thread hand-made lace, sometimes called ‘clear foundation.’
1879. Webster, Suppl., Lisle-thread, a hard twisted cotton thread, originally produced at Lisle, France.
