selvage

or sel·vedge

[ sel-vij ]
See synonyms for selvage on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the edge of woven fabric finished so as to prevent raveling, often in a narrow tape effect, different from the body of the fabric.

  2. any similar strip or part of surplus material, as at the side of wallpaper.

  1. Also called margin. Philately. the surplus paper or margin around a sheet of stamps: The number of the plate block appears in the selvage.

  2. a plate or surface through which a bolt of a lock passes.

Origin of selvage

1
1425–75; late Middle English, respelling of self + edge, modeled on Middle Dutch selfegghe (Dutch zelfegge)

Other words from selvage

  • selvaged, adjective

Words that may be confused with selvage

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use selvage in a sentence

  • 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
  • This is a very simple matter in a great many fabrics that have a selvedge—the warp must be parallel to the selvedge.

    Textiles | William H. Dooley
  • The Willow-Wren was twittering his thin little song, hidden himself in the dark selvedge of the river bank.

    The Wind in the Willows | Kenneth Grahame
  • Even the item of selvedge, particularly in the Beluchistans, shows great skill in colouring and pattern.

    The Oriental Rug | William D. Ellwanger
  • In Bokharas proper the adornment of the selvedge usually is on the warp; as in the Bergamas and Beluchistans.

    The Oriental Rug | William D. Ellwanger

British Dictionary definitions for selvage

selvage

selvedge

/ (ˈsɛlvɪdʒ) /


noun
  1. the finished nonfraying edge of a length of woven fabric

  2. a similar strip of material allowed in fabricating a metal or plastic article, used esp for handling components during manufacture

Origin of selvage

1
C15: from self + edge; related to Dutch selfegghe, German Selbende

Derived forms of selvage

  • selvaged, adjective

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