selvage
Americannoun
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the edge of woven fabric finished so as to prevent raveling, often in a narrow tape effect, different from the body of the fabric.
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any similar strip or part of surplus material, as at the side of wallpaper.
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Also called margin. Philately. the surplus paper or margin around a sheet of stamps.
The number of the plate block appears in the selvage.
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a plate or surface through which a bolt of a lock passes.
noun
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the finished nonfraying edge of a length of woven fabric
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a similar strip of material allowed in fabricating a metal or plastic article, used esp for handling components during manufacture
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of selvage
1425–75; late Middle English, respelling of self + edge, modeled on Middle Dutch selfegghe ( Dutch zelfegge )
Explanation
A selvage is a finished edge on a piece of fabric, as opposed to an edge that is cut and has loose threads that can be unraveled. The word selvage (or in the U.K., selvedge) originally referred only to the self-finished edge of fabric woven on a loom, though today it can be used for any material. Literally, the word means "its own edge," from the merging of self and edge. There are many similar words in other languages, including Selbend, "self end," in German. The purpose of the selvage is to keep the fabric from fraying.
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.
Think blazer coats with white overstitching and cut as if to reveal the selvage edge of the fabric.
From New York Times • Jan. 26, 2022
Then, as you got older, you got those stiff, selvage jeans from A.P.C.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 16, 2021
You can also find Japanese selvage denim, Filson shirts and jackets, work boots that look like they’ll last a generation, safety glasses for hazardous manly activities, restored and hand-sharpened vintage axes and motorcycle helmets.
From Washington Post • Aug. 14, 2019
“My existence is selvage denim at this point, it’s a vintage Hermès bag,” Kanye said.
From New York Times • Jun. 25, 2018
This had to be done with great care, so as not to jumble the volatile fluid contained within the canvas, and spill it over the selvage.
From The Ocean Waifs A Story of Adventure on Land and Sea by Reid, Mayne
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
