The textile pattern named after a town in western Scotland and known for its curved teardrop shape is paisley.
The motif is commonly called a boteh or buta and has roots in Persian and Indian textile traditions. It became especially familiar in Europe through Kashmir shawls imported during the 18th and 19th centuries. Scottish manufacturers in Paisley, Renfrewshire, reproduced the design on a large scale, giving it the English name used today.
Paisley was not the pattern’s original birthplace. The town’s importance was its role as a major textile-production centre, where weavers adapted shawl designs for local manufacture and later used Jacquard looms. Paisley shawls became fashionable in Europe, particularly during the 19th century, before declining in popularity after the 1870s.
The pattern is sometimes mistaken for a floral print or confused with other curved motifs. Its identifying feature is the repeated, comma- or teardrop-like form, often filled with intricate floral and ornamental details.