cloth

[klawth, kloth]

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.
1. one of the lengths of canvas or duck of standard width sewn side by side to form a sail, awning, or tarpaulin.
2. any of various pieces of canvas or duck for reinforcing certain areas of a sail.
3. 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.

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. 2018

Related Words for cloths

material, goods, cotton, stuff, bolt, weave, tissue, twill, calico, textiles

Examples from the Web for cloths

Contemporary Examples of 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
The women had on long dresses made of orange, black, and green African Kente cloths with matching headdresses.
Red, White, and Muslim
Asma Gull Hasan
February 26, 2009

Historical Examples of cloths

She was always occupied with silks, satins, velvets, or cloths of gold or silver.
The Dream
Emile Zola
There should always be a set of cloths kept for the purpose.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
Put the dumplings into cloths, and let them boil about half an hour.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
How could the sacristans manage to distribute the holy vestments and the cloths?
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
Cloths thus saturated with hartshorn powder, are also the best things for cleaning brass locks, and the finger plates of doors.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton

British Dictionary definitions for cloths

cloth

noun plural cloths (klɒθs, klɒðz)

1. a fabric formed by weaving, felting or knitting wool, cotton, etc
2. (as modifier)a cloth bag
a piece of such fabric used for a particular purpose, as for a dishcloth
the cloth
1. the clothes worn by a clergyman
2. 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.