worsted
Americannoun
-
firmly twisted yarn or thread spun from combed, stapled wool fibers of the same length, for weaving, knitting, etc.
-
wool cloth woven from such yarns, having a hard, smooth surface and no nap.
adjective
noun
-
a closely twisted yarn or thread made from combed long-staple wool
-
a fabric made from this, with a hard smooth close-textured surface and no nap
-
(modifier) made of this yarn or fabric
a worsted suit
Other Word Forms
- half-worsted adjective
Etymology
Origin of worsted
1250–1300; Middle English worsted ( e ), special use of Worstede Worstead ( Old English Wurthestede ), name of parish in Norfolk, England, where the cloth was made
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He often mixed silk and wool or silk and linen for a softer alternative to the heavy, stiff gabardines and worsted wools that were typical for men’s suits and jackets.
From Los Angeles Times
“It was a real novelty back then,” says Susan Schoelwer, Mount Vernon’s senior curator, of the fancy silk and worsted wool sofa with scrolled arms and rows of brass tacks.
From Washington Post
His father was a Wall Street banker turned Connecticut senator who was straight out of central casting: craggy, 6-foot-4, wearing gray worsted suits even in warm weather.
From New York Times
They had put chairs and pillows into it, and several worsted suits.
From The New Yorker
Sheeeeit! – came down to us from a local void, while my father sat, implacable, a worsted rock.
From The Guardian
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
