Definition of "alamode" [al•a•mode]

• A lustrous plain-weave silk fabric for head coverings and scarfs. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Their works are all Parian marble, alabaster, porphyry, and royal cement; they treat of nothing but heroic deeds, mighty things, grave and difficult matters, and this in a crimson, alamode, rhetorical style."
• "Then she made us the following speech in byssin words, such as Parisatis desired should be spoken to her son Cyrus, or at least of crimson alamode:"
• "The French servant, moreover, was expected to bring with him from Paris—none ever seemed to come from other parts of the country—a knowledge of the best and most recent “alamode” fashions, whether in dressing hair, making clothes, or preparing food."