Taffeta is a kind of cloth: smooth, shiny, and stiff. That stiffness is the point of it. Because taffeta holds its shape instead of hanging soft against the body, it is used where a designer wants a skirt to stand out from the waist, or a sleeve to puff, or a big dress to keep its shape all evening. It also makes a faint rustling sound when it moves, which people who sew often mention. Traditionally it was silk; today most of what you buy is nylon or polyester made the same way, and it is much cheaper. You meet the word mainly in a few settings: formal dresses, especially wedding dresses and prom or ball gowns, and — because of that — in descriptions of old-fashioned or expensive clothes in novels. It is also used for linings, curtains, and even in some technical products. It is an uncountable noun, so you say 'a metre of taffeta' or 'a taffeta dress', not 'a taffeta'. For a Taiwanese student, this is a word you are more likely to read than to say, unless you sew or work in fashion.

塔夫綢（也寫作塔夫塔綢）；就是那種硬挺、有光澤、走動時會沙沙作響的布，常用來做禮服和婚紗的裙撐部分。