worsted

[woos-tid, wur-stid]

noun

1. firmly twisted yarn or thread spun from combed, stapled wool fibers of the same length, for weaving, knitting, etc.

2. wool cloth woven from such yarns, having a hard, smooth surface and no nap.

adjective

1. consisting or made of worsted.

worsted

/ ˈwʊstɪd /

noun

1. a closely twisted yarn or thread made from combed long-staple wool

2. a fabric made from this, with a hard smooth close-textured surface and no nap

3. (modifier) made of this yarn or fabric

   a worsted suit

Other Word Forms

• half-worsted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of worsted¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of worsted¹

C13: named after Worstead, a district in Norfolk

Example Sentences

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.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He belonged to a walled city of the fifteenth century, a city of narrow, cobbled streets, and thin spires, where the inhabitants wore pointed shoes and worsted hose.

Read more on Literature

“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.

Read more on 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.

Read more on New York Times

They had put chairs and pillows into it, and several worsted suits.

Read more on The New Yorker

Related Words

• cashmere 
• fleece 
• fur 
• hair 
• mohair 
• tweed 
• yarn