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chambray

[sham-brey]
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noun
  1. a fine cloth of cotton, silk, or linen, commonly of plain weave with a colored warp and white weft.

Origin of chambray

1805–15, Americanism; variant of cambric
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for chambray

Historical Examples

  • And for their help Mrs. Chambray and the doctor were to receive a handsome sum.

    The Mystery of Mary

    Grace Livingston Hill

  • He was crudely buried by the Germans where he fell, near Chambray, and a rude cross set up to mark the place.

    The War Romance of the Salvation Army

    Evangeline Booth and Grace Livingston Hill

  • The plain blues and pinks are chambray; the plain blues and pinks of cheaper grade are ginghams.

  • Chambray is a staple fabric of many years standing, being next in rank among cotton goods after the better grade of gingham.

    Textiles

    William H. Dooley

  • Chambray is a light-weight single cloth fabric that is always woven with a plain weave, and always has a white selvedge.

    Textiles

    William H. Dooley

British Dictionary definitions for chambray

chambray

noun
  1. a smooth light fabric of cotton, linen, etc, with white weft and a coloured warp

Word Origin

C19: after Cambrai; see cambric
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for chambray

n.

1814, American English, alteration of Cambrai, city in France (formerly Flanders) where the cloth originally was made. Cf. cambric.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper