Definitions for madrasˈmæd rəs, məˈdræs, -ˈdrɑs

Random House Webster's College Dictionary

mad•rasˈmæd rəs, məˈdræs, -ˈdrɑs(n.)

a light cotton fabric of various weaves, esp. one in multicolored plaid or stripes.
Category: Textiles
a thin curtain fabric of a gauzelike weave with figures of heavier yarns.
Category: Textiles
a large brightly colored silk or cotton kerchief often used for turbans.
Category: Clothing

Origin of madras:

1885–90; earlier Madras handkerchief, after Madras

Ma•drasməˈdræs, -ˈdrɑs(n.)

the capital of Tamil Nadu state, in SE India, on the Bay of Bengal. 4,277,000.
Category: Geography (places)
Category: Geography (places)
Ref: former name of Tamil Nadu .

Princeton's WordNet

Tamil Nadu, Madras(noun)
a state in southeastern India on the Bay of Bengal (south of Andhra Pradesh); formerly Madras
Chennai, Madras(noun)
a city in Tamil Nadu on the Bay of Bengal; formerly Madras
madras(noun)
a light patterned cotton cloth

Wiktionary

Madras(Noun)
A style of curry dish purported to originate from the Madras region.
Iu2019ll have the Chicken Madras.
Madras(ProperNoun)
Former name of Chennai, the state capital of Tamil Nadu, India.
madras(Noun)
a brightly colored cotton fabric with a checked or striped pattern.
Iu2019ll have the Chicken Madras.

Origin: The etymology is uncertain; older forms are Madraspatan, Madraspatanam, and Madraspattinam, the final element being from पत्तन. It is possible that Madras is from مدرسة, from درس.

The Nuttall Encyclopedia

Madras
one of the three Indian Presidencies, occupies the S. and E. of the peninsula, and is one-half as large again as Great Britain; the chief mountains are the Ghâts, from which flow SE. the Godavari, Kistna, and Kavari Rivers, which, by means of extensive irrigation works, fertilise the plains; climate is various; on the W. coast very hot and with a rainfall from June to October of 120 inches, producing luxurious vegetation; on the E. the heat is also great, but the rainfall, which comes chiefly between October and December, is only 40 inches; in the hill country, e. g. Ootacamund, the government summer quarters, it is genial and temperate all the year, and but for the monsoons the finest in the world; rice is everywhere the chief crop; cotton is grown in the E., tobacco in the Godavari region, tea, coffee, and cinchona on the hills, and sugar-cane in different districts; gold is found in Mysore (native State), and diamonds in the Karnul; iron abounds, but without coal; the teak forests are of great value; cotton, gunny-bags, sugar, and tiles are the chief manufactures; English settlements date from 1611; the population, chiefly Hindu, includes 2 million Mohammedans and ¾ million Christians; the chief towns are Rujumahendri (28), Vizugapatam (34), Trichinopoli (91), of cheroot fame, and Mangalore (41), on the W. coast, and the capital Madras (453), on the E., Coromandel, coast, a straggling city, hot but healthy, with an open roadstead, pier, and harbour exposed to cyclones, a university, examining body only, colleges of science, medicine, art, and agriculture, and a large museum; the chief exports are coffee, tea, cotton, and indigo.