jean

¹

[ jeen British formerly jeyn ]

noun

1. Sometimes jeans. a sturdy twilled fabric, usually of cotton.
2. jeans, (used with a plural verb)
   1. blue jeans.
   2. pants of various fabrics, styled or constructed like blue jeans. Compare Levi's.

Jean

²

[ French zhahn jeen ]

noun

1. 1921–2019, Grand Duke of Luxembourg 1964–2000.
2. a male given name, form of John.
3. a female given name.

jean

¹

/ dʒiːn /

noun

1. See jeans
   a tough twill-weave cotton fabric used for hard-wearing trousers, overalls, etc See also jeans

Jean

²

/ ʒɑ̃ /

noun

1. Jean1921MLuxembourgPOLITICS: hereditary ruler born 1921, full name Jean Benoît Guillaume Robert Antoine Louis Marie Adolphe Marc d'Aviano , grand duke of Luxembourg (1964–2000)
2. JeanMichaelle1957FCanadianHaitiPOLITICS: stateswomanFILMS AND TV: broadcaster Michaelle. born 1957, in Haiti. Canadian stateswoman and broadcaster; governor-general from 2005

Other Words From

• jeaned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of jean¹

1485–95; short for jean fustian, earlier Gene(s) fustian Genoese or Genoa fustian

Word History and Origins

Origin of jean¹

C16: short for jean fustian, from Gene Genoa

Example Sentences

Every one of those products, wherever it ends up, uses resources like the thousands of gallons of water it takes to make a single pair of jeans.

From Popular-Science

King’s depiction on the cover, in jeans and bare feet, showed a marked departure from the slick production associated with her girl-group hits.

From Washington Post

There is nothing anyone can do to make my low-rise skinny jeans fashionable again.

From Outside Online

They might not fit into the jeans they wore six months ago and their developing brains need fresh stimulation.

From Ozy

Jean initially served as the Center’s executive director from 1993 to 1999.

From Washington Blade

The father, Jean Paul Kruse, was later charged with rape and sexual abuse.

From The Daily Beast

I had a chance to work with Jean-François Richet, who directed Mesrine.

From The Daily Beast

Major General Jean Kahwaji of the Lebanese armed forces recently declared an “open-ended war” with the militants.

From The Daily Beast

There are also essays on Jean Rys, Sylvia Plath, the Brontës, and Henry Roth.

From The Daily Beast

Jean-Claude Bensoussan got into the prison wedding business 12 years ago.

From The Daily Beast

Aristide washed and powdered Jean himself, the landlord lounging by, pipe in mouth, administering suggestions.

From Project Gutenberg

Last night I saw Jean Baptiste lying prone upon the floor, and knew that she had beaten him down to it, and he had not resisted.

From Project Gutenberg

He had not estimated that if Jean Baptiste sought his wife secretly, it must have been because he wished to avoid him.

From Project Gutenberg

Jean grinned and dribbled self-consciously, and showed his two little teeth to the proudest father in the world.

From Project Gutenberg

The night passed amid various excursions on the part of Aristide and alarms on the part of Jean.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Jean

What does jean mean?

The word jean refers to the kind of material used to make jeans, as in blue jeans—a type of pants.

Jeans are traditionally made from denim, a kind of cotton fabric. Today, jeans are made from a variety of fabrics and fabric blends, but they’re still called jeans if they resemble denim blue jeans. In this way, the word jean isn’t commonly used as a name of a kind of material until after it’s been made into jeans.

Jean is most commonly used as a modifier to describe garments that are made of denim or the kind of fabric that blue jeans are made of, as in jean shorts, jean jacket (also commonly called a denim jacket), and jean shirt.

Example: I used to wear a jean jacket with a bunch of patches on it.

Where does jean come from?

The first records of the word jean in reference to a kind of fabric come from around the 1500s. The first pants called jeans were produced by tailor Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss of Levi Strauss & Co. Levi’s, as they came to be called, were originally created for and used by miners.

The word jean is derived from the term jean fustian, in which fustian refers to a kind of fabric and jean comes from Gene, in reference to Genoa, Italy—where such fabric was known for being manufactured.

Interestingly, the origin of the word denim is also based on a place name. It comes from the French phrase (serge) de Nîmes, in which serge refers to a kind of fabric and Nîmes refers to the city in France once known for its manufacture.

Wearing “double denim”—jeans with a jean shirt or jean jacket—is sometimes known as a Canadian tuxedo.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to jean?

• jeans (noun)

What are some synonyms for jean?

• denim

What are some words that share a root or word element with jean? 

• blue jeans
• jorts
• Genoa

 

What are some words that often get used in discussing jean?

 

• jacket
• shorts
• material
• fabric
• pants
• blue
• Canadian tuxedo

How is jean used in real life?

Jean is most commonly used in terms like jean jacket, jean shorts, and jean shirt.

I have come into possession of a jean jacket, what patches should I get for it? pic.twitter.com/EEjWqGtrlq

— Abram ⚙️🌾 (@abramxlutes) November 17, 2020

Confession: I wear ‘jorts’ (jean shorts) on purpose. I love them 😂

— Random Access Māori (@MaoriRandom) November 21, 2020

Wearing a jean shirt with blue jeans IS NOT A THING #dontdoit

— Lo Bledsoe (@loren_bledsoe) January 17, 2014

 

Try using jean!

True or False? 

You can totally pull off wearing jeans with a jean jacket.