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selvage

or sel·vedge

[ sel-vij ]
/ ˈsɛl vɪdʒ /
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noun
the edge of woven fabric finished so as to prevent raveling, often in a narrow tape effect, different from the body of the fabric.
any similar strip or part of surplus material, as at the side of wallpaper.
Also called margin. Philately. the surplus paper or margin around a sheet of stamps: The number of the plate block appears in the selvage.
a plate or surface through which a bolt of a lock passes.
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Origin of selvage

1425–75; late Middle English, respelling of self + edge, modeled on Middle Dutch selfegghe (Dutch zelfegge)

OTHER WORDS FROM selvage

selvaged, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH selvage

salvage, selvage

Words nearby selvage

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use selvage in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for selvage

selvage

selvedge

/ (ˈsɛlvɪdʒ) /

noun
the finished nonfraying edge of a length of woven fabric
a similar strip of material allowed in fabricating a metal or plastic article, used esp for handling components during manufacture

Derived forms of selvage

selvaged, adjective

Word Origin for selvage

C15: from self + edge; related to Dutch selfegghe, German Selbende
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
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