Gauze is a thin, translucent fabric with a open weave. Etymology Gauze was traditionally woven in Palestine and the etymology of the English word derives from the place name for Gaza, a center of weaving in the region.Skeat, 1993, p. 172.McCarthy et al., 1997, p. 30. 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.Garrison, 2008, p. 261. Though members of r… (More on Gauze)