a twilled worsted or woolen fabric used especially for clothing.
cotton, rayon, or silk in a twill weave.
a twill-weave woollen or worsted fabric used for clothing
a similar twilled cotton, silk, or rayon fabric
1350–1400; < French; replacing Middle English sarge < Middle French < Vulgar Latin *sārica, for Latin sērica ( lāna ) Chinese (wool), i.e., silk; see seric-
Perhaps to be identified with serge 1, though sense shift is unclear
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Many of the long-stay male patients were poorly attired; the fronts of their thick serge shirts were heavily stained with food and there was a dearth of ties,” they wrote.
From The New Yorker • Feb. 25, 2019
A tank commander--Vasily Falin wore all his medals on his blue serge suit to the dinner we had in his honor at a restaurant in the city then called Leningrad.
From New York Times • Nov. 15, 2017
Mina Van Winkle — the socialite social worker once known for her blue serge suit, white kid gloves, veil and “a faint hint of perfume” — died in 1933 at age 57.
From Washington Post • Mar. 19, 2016
The man spots a Model-T pulling up and a young stranger getting out, dressed in a blue serge suit.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 19, 2012
I’d pictured myself, dressed in a neat blue serge suit, my money changer swinging jauntily at my waist, and a cheery smile for the passengers which would make their own work day brighter.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
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.
