catgut

noun

Etymology: Possibly an abbreviation of the word cattlegut. Alternatively, it may derive by folk etymology from kitgut or kitstring — the word kit, meaning fiddle, having at some point been confused with the word kit for a young cat.

1. A cord of great toughness made from the intestines of animals, especially of sheep, used for strings of musical instruments, racquets, sutures etc.

   “The thing about Proust is his combination of the utmost sensibility with the utmost tenacity. He searches out these butterfly shades to the last grain. He is as tough as catgut & as evanescent as a butterfly's bloom.”

   “Eventually they carved small paddles to strike the ball and refined this implement with a mesh of catgut.”

2. The material from which such cords are made.
3. A sort of linen or canvas, with wide interstices.
4. Tephrosia virginiana (goat's rue, devil's shoestring).