jean

¹

[jeen, jeyn]

noun

1. Sometimes jeans a sturdy twilled fabric, usually of cotton.

2. (used with a plural verb),  jeans,

   1. blue jeans.

   2. pants of various fabrics, styled or constructed like blue jeans.

Jean

²

[zhahn, jeen]

noun

1. 1921–2019, Grand Duke of Luxembourg 1964–2000.

2. a male given name, form of John.

3. a female given name.

Jean

¹

/ ʒɑ̃ /

noun

1. born 1921, full name Jean Benoît Guillaume Robert Antoine Louis Marie Adolphe Marc d'Aviano , grand duke of Luxembourg (1964–2000)

2. Michaelle. born 1957, in Haiti. Canadian stateswoman and broadcaster; governor-general from 2005

jean

²

/ dʒiːn /

noun

1. a tough twill-weave cotton fabric used for hard-wearing trousers, overalls, etc See also jeans

Other Word Forms

• jeaned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of jean¹

1485–95; short for jean fustian, earlier Gene(s) fustian Genoese or Genoa fustian

Word History and Origins

Origin of jean¹

C16: short for jean fustian, from Gene _Genoa

Example Sentences

The Harcourt we know, who sports black jeans and gets into bar fights just to feel something, is astounded that Peacemaker didn’t immediately sniff out the rot in this utopia.

From Salon

Dressed in baggy jeans and a billowy linen shirt, she sips a green juice as a takeout bag from Sqirl sits next to her on a picnic table.

From Los Angeles Times

This season, as one of Arisu’s clients, Kuina is practically glowing with joy and contentment in a chunky sweater and jeans, but still with her signature dreadlocks.

From Salon

He was a fashion icon among Assam's youth and built a larger-than-life persona with his sartorial choices, which included trendy sunglasses and ripped jeans.

From BBC

The first two specials are aptly named “Lower Classy” and “Middle Classy” — and to demonstrate that she’s really made it to “Upper Classy,” she ditches her casual jeans and t-shirt for a sparkly black jumpsuit.

From Los Angeles Times

When To Use

What does jean mean?

The word jean refers to the kind of material used to make jeans, as in blue jeans—a type of pants.Jeans are traditionally made from denim, a kind of cotton fabric. Today, jeans are made from a variety of fabrics and fabric blends, but they’re still called jeans if they resemble denim blue jeans. In this way, the word jean isn’t commonly used as a name of a kind of material until after it’s been made into jeans.Jean is most commonly used as a modifier to describe garments that are made of denim or the kind of fabric that blue jeans are made of, as in jean shorts, jean jacket (also commonly called a denim jacket), and jean shirt.Example: I used to wear a jean jacket with a bunch of patches on it.