cloth

[ klawth, kloth ]

/ klɔθ, klɒθ /

noun, plural cloths [klawth z, kloth z, klawths, kloths] /klɔðz, klɒðz, klɔθs, klɒθs/.

a fabric formed by weaving, felting, etc., from wool, hair, silk, flax, cotton, or other fiber, used for garments, upholstery, and many other items.

a piece of such a fabric for a particular purpose: an altar cloth.

the particular attire of any profession, especially that of the clergy.Compare man of the cloth.

the cloth, the clergy: men of the cloth.

Nautical.

one of the lengths of canvas or duck of standard width sewn side by side to form a sail, awning, or tarpaulin.
any of various pieces of canvas or duck for reinforcing certain areas of a sail.
a number of sails taken as a whole.

Obsolete. a garment; clothing.

adjective

of or made of cloth: She wore a cloth coat trimmed with fur.

clothbound.

Nearby words

clostridium perfringens, clostridium tetani, closure, closure principle, clot, cloth, cloth cap, cloth of gold, cloth roll, cloth yard, cloth-cap

Origin of cloth

before 900; Middle English cloth, clath cloth, garment, Old English clāth; cognate with Dutch kleed, German Kleid

Related formscloth·like, adjectiveun·der·cloth, noun

Can be confusedcloth clothe clothes

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cloths

We set to our task with a deliberate gentleness, dabbing with cloths, cotton, swabs.
Inside a Home Funeral|Melissa Roberts Weidman|February 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
These Indians wore garments of bark, which they wove like cloths, and then drew on like coats of mail.
The History of Antiquity, Volume IV (of 6)|Max Duncker
The grape pomace is built up into a "cheese" by the use of cloths and racks variously arranged.
Manual of American Grape-Growing|U. P. Hedrick
And they may well do so, for cloths of gold and of silk are cheaper there by much, than are cloths of wool.
Early Travels in Palestine|Arculf et al.

Empty provision sacks and pack-saddles serve as cloths to protect the animals from the cold at night.
Trans-Himalaya, Vol. 1 (of 2)|Sven Hedin
The cloths should be of a kind called enna kacha, each four cubits in length, but they are not now procurable.
Castes and Tribes of Southern India|Edgar Thurston

British Dictionary definitions for cloths

cloth

/ (klɒθ) /

noun plural cloths (klɒθs, klɒðz)

a fabric formed by weaving, felting or knitting wool, cotton, etc
(as modifier)a cloth bag

a piece of such fabric used for a particular purpose, as for a dishcloth

the cloth

the clothes worn by a clergyman
the clergy

obsolete clothing

nautical any of the panels of a sail

mainly British a piece of coloured fabric, used on the stage as scenery

Western African a garment in a traditional non-European style

Word Origin for cloth

Old English clāth; related to Old Frisian klēth, Middle High German kleit cloth, clothing

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 cloths

cloth

Old English claþ "a cloth, sail, cloth covering, woven or felted material to wrap around one," hence, also, "garment," from Proto-Germanic *kalithaz (cf. Old Frisian klath "cloth," Middle Dutch cleet, Dutch kleed "garment, dress," Middle High German kleit, German Kleid "garment"), of obscure origin. As an adjective from 1590s. The cloth "the clerical profession" is from 17c. in reference to characteristic dress.

Idioms and Phrases with cloths

cloth

see out of whole cloth; sackcloth and ashes.

cloth

noun, plural cloths [klawth z, kloth z, klawths, kloths] /klɔðz, klɒðz, klɔθs, klɒθs/.

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of cloth

Examples from the Web for cloths

British Dictionary definitions for cloths

cloth

noun plural cloths (klɒθs, klɒðz)

Word Origin for cloth

Word Origin and History for cloths

cloth

Idioms and Phrases with cloths

cloth