cyprus, n. [OE. cipres, cypirs; perh. so named as being first manufactured in Cyprus. Cf. Cipers.].
A thin, transparent stuff, the same as, or corresponding to, crape. It was either white or black, the latter being most common, and used for mourning. [1913 Webster]
"Lawn as white as driven snow, Cyprus black as e'er was crow."
[1913 Webster]
Also see definition of "cyprus" in Bible Study Dictionaries