gingham

American  

[ging-uhm] / ˈgɪŋ əm /

noun

1. yarn-dyed, plain-weave cotton fabric, usually striped or checked.

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gingham British  

/ ˈɡɪŋəm /

noun

1. textiles

   1. a cotton fabric, usually woven of two coloured yarns in a checked or striped design

   2. ( as modifier )

      a gingham dress

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Etymology

Origin of gingham

1605–15; < Dutch gingang < Malay gəŋgaŋ, giŋgaŋ with space between, hence, striped

Explanation

Checked cotton cloth is called gingham. If you're planning on eating lunch at the beach, you might want to bring your gingham picnic blanket — and plenty of sunscreen. When you see the cheerful checked pattern of gingham fabric, it probably makes you think of curtains in homey kitchen windows, your grandma's tablecloth, or little girls' summer dresses trimmed in rickrack. Most gingham is patterned with small checks of white and one other color. The word comes, via the Dutch gingang, from a Malay word that means "striped."

Example Sentences

GINGHAM, a cotton or linen cloth, for the name of which several origins are suggested.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 1 "Gichtel, Johann" to "Glory" by Various