Batik is a cloth that traditionally uses a manual wax-resist dyeing technique. Although the word's origin is Javanese, its etymology may be either from the Javanese "amba" ("to write") and "titik" ("dot" or "point"), or constructed from a hypothetical Proto-Austronesian root *beCík", meaning "to tattoo" from the use of a needle in the process. The word is first recorded in English in the Encyclopædia Britannica of 1880, in which it is spelled battik. It is attested in the Indonesian Archipelago during the Dutch colonial period in various forms: "mbatek", "mbatik", "batek" and "batik".
Javanese traditional batik, especially from Yogyakarta and Surakarta, has special meanings rooted to the Javanese conceptualization of the universe. Traditional colours include indigo, dark brown, and white, which represent the three major Hindu Gods (Brahmā, Visnu, and Śiva). This is related to the fact that natural dyes are most commonly available in indigo and brown. Certain patterns can only be worn by nobility; traditionally, wider stripes or wavy lines of greater width indicated higher rank. Consequently, during Javanese ceremonies, one could determine the royal lineage of a person by the cloth he or she was wearing.
