Etymology and History
Gauze was traditionally woven in Palestine and the English word is said to derive from the place name for Gaza (Arabic: غزة ghazza), a center of weaving in the region. Despite a prohibition on trade with non-Christians from religious authorities in medieval Europe, a fine type of silk known as gazzatum was imported from Gaza as early as the 13th century. Though members of religious orders in Europe were forbidden to wear it, the fabric won a place for itself and emerged into modern life as gauze.
According to the French government's online etymology dictionary, the English form of the word derived from the French gaze, whose ultimate origin is uncertain, but is often attributed to the Arabic and Persian word qazz meaning "raw silk", which itself derived from the name of Gaza. The same source says the existence of "an ancient textile industry in Gaza is not assured," and it is not known how the word entered into widespread use in European languages, with examples of first usages cited being the medieval Latin forms garza in Bologna in 1250 and gazzatum in Budapest in 1279.
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