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  • jute
    jute
    noun
    a strong, coarse fiber used for making burlap, gunny, cordage, etc., obtained from two East Indian plants, Corchorus capsularis and C. olitorius, of the linden family.
  • Jute
    Jute
    noun
    a member of a continental Germanic tribe, probably from Jutland, that invaded Britain in the 5th century a.d. and settled in Kent.
Synonyms

jute

1 American  
[joot] / dʒut /

noun

  1. a strong, coarse fiber used for making burlap, gunny, cordage, etc., obtained from two East Indian plants, Corchorus capsularis and C. olitorius, of the linden family.

  2. either of these plants.

  3. any plant of the same genus.


Jute 2 American  
[joot] / dʒut /

noun

  1. a member of a continental Germanic tribe, probably from Jutland, that invaded Britain in the 5th century a.d. and settled in Kent.


jute 1 British  
/ dʒuːt /

noun

  1. either of two Old World tropical yellow-flowered herbaceous plants, Corchorus capsularis or C. olitorius, cultivated for their strong fibre: family Tiliaceae

  2. this fibre, used in making sacks, rope, etc

"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

Jute 2 British  
/ dʒuːt /

noun

  1. a member of one of various Germanic tribes, some of whom invaded England in the 6th century ad , settling in Kent

"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

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of jute

First recorded in 1740–50, jute is from the Bengali word jhuṭo


Explanation

Jute is a very long fiber that comes from a plant and is used to make rugs, ropes, and other things. Jute twine feels coarse and rough, and is very strong. Jute is useful because of its length and cheapness — it provides an easy way to make an inexpensive sack or floor mat. If you've ever planted a small tree, you've probably uncovered its roots from their jute wrapping first, and if you've bought a five-pound bag of rice or sugar, it most likely came in a rough jute bag. Jute comes from the Bengali word jhuto, from the Sanskrit root juta-s, "twisted hair."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing jute

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Ms. Rizer begins in a peasant shift of woven jute and ends, after seven layers and 154 pounds of increasing Tolstoyan grandeur, cocooned in a wintry mantle of taupe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2025

“Here the only products we work with are silk, wool, jute, cotton, linen,” he said.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 23, 2023

Enter philanthropist James Caird, a local jute baron.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2023

In addition to the jute garments Vargas wove to clothe Argote in for the performance, the show also includes a more straightforward painting, “Pain Body,” made in what Argote calls “ancestral” oil paint.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2023

Beyond, jute fields stretch out to the horizon, with no other house in sight.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

Jute is typically cultivated locally for its edible leaves, not for fibre.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2024

Jute is more durable than cotton, needs fewer resources for its cultivation and has a shorter growing time.

From New York Times ● Oct. 10, 2022

Jute mill owners eventually found a way to make even more money: They moved the business to India, closer to the fiber’s source.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 30, 2022

Angle, Saxon, and Jute tribes from what is today northwestern Germany and southern Denmark “came over into the island, and they began to increase so much, that they became terrible to the natives.”

From Science Magazine ● Sep. 21, 2022

Jute farms and dairy farms have something in common.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

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