dungaree
noun
- work clothes, overalls, etc., of blue denim.
- blue jeans.
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Origin of dungaree
VOCAB BUILDER
What are dungarees?
The word dungarees is most commonly used as another word for overalls—a garment consisting of pants attached to a top portion that’s held up by shoulder straps. The top portion is kind of like a bib or apron—it doesn’t have sleeves.
Dungarees are commonly worn for rugged work, but they are also worn as casualwear.
Dungarees can also be used as another word for jeans (usually blue jeans)—a type of pants traditionally made from denim (a kind of cotton fabric). This use of the word is less common than it once was.
Dungarees typically have seams and pockets that are reinforced with rivets (small metal fasteners).
Like the words pants and jeans, dungarees is always used in the plural form when referring to a garment.
The word dungaree (without an s at the end) refers to a kind of coarse cotton fabric, somewhat similar to denim, that such garments can be made out of.
Example: I wear these dungarees in the workshop because it’s like having a built-in apron.
Where does dungarees come from?
The first records of the word dungarees come from the early 1600s. It comes from Hindi dungrī, after Dungrī, a district of the city of Mumbai where the fabric known as dungaree originated.
Interestingly, the origins of the terms jeans and denim are both also based on places. The word jeans is derived from the term jean fustian, in which fustian refers to a kind of fabric and jean comes from Gene, in reference to Genoa, Italy—where such fabric was known for being manufactured.
The word denim comes from the French phrase (serge) de Nîmes, in which serge refers to a kind of fabric and Nîmes refers to the city in France once known for its manufacture.
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How is dungarees used in real life?
Dungarees are most commonly associated with their use as workwear. They are probably more commonly called overalls.
Aint no holiday without a fun pair of dungarees, head to toe in https://t.co/2tcBhNOtrZ for my Roman Holiday ! #TaapseeXKoovs @mykoovs pic.twitter.com/7rN94rnQgx
— taapsee pannu (@taapsee) June 25, 2018
I want cute denim dungarees & kinda campy flowy low-neck shirts but this is NOT the weather to discover a new summery style bc it just AIN'T summer 😓
— Delivery driving during the Apocalypse™️ (@YorkieOnTour4) November 15, 2020
finding a pair of black dungarees with the fit I want is seemingly harder than I thought
— Vega ''Vinni'' Gullberg (@skrymtet) November 21, 2020
Try using dungarees!
True or False?
The word dungarees always refers to overalls.
Example sentences from the Web for dungaree
British Dictionary definitions for dungaree
noun
- a suit of workman's overalls made of this material consisting of trousers with a bib attached
- a casual garment resembling this, usually worn by women or children