tweed

[tweed]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tweed ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a coarse wool cloth in a variety of weaves and colors, either hand-spun and handwoven in Scotland or reproduced, often by machine, elsewhere.

tweeds, garments made of this cloth.

a paper having a rough surface, used especially for certain photographic prints.

Origin of tweed

1835–45; apparently back formation from Scots tweedling twilling (now obsolete) < ?

Tweed

[tweed]

noun

William Mar·cy

[mahr-see] /ˈmɑr si/Boss Tweed, 1823–78, U.S. politician.

a river flowing E from S Scotland along part of the NE boundary of England into the North Sea. 97 miles (156 km) long.

a male given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for tweed

fleece, fur, yarn, hair, cashmere, mohair, worsted, merino

Examples from the Web for tweed

Contemporary Examples of tweed

Tweed is estimated to have swindled the equivalent of $3.5 billion from New York during his time as a senator.
Brooklyn’s Gangster Graveyard
Nina Strochlic
October 23, 2014
Or a horse and carriage, like the one driven a young man in a tweed suit and cap from yesteryear, as he gazed up at the stars.
The Crazy Medieval Island of Sark
Liza Foreman
October 4, 2014
He tried his hand at setting up a chain of movie theaters in Ireland, and worked at importing Irish tweed to Italy.
The Letter That Paved the Way for ‘Ulysses'
Ted Gioia
December 15, 2013
That meant liquid embroidered metallics, satin lace-up skirts – and even a tweed bikini.
Jason Wu’s Softer Side
Isabel Wilkinson
September 6, 2013
Among his favorite garments were a raincoat, a tweed jacket, and a gray wash denim coat with studded straps.
FIT Hosts BARK-à-Porter: Art Deco-Themed Pet Fashion Show
Claire Stern
May 4, 2013

Historical Examples of tweed

This man was the Tweed of Mexico, and one of the most venal officials ever trusted by the people.
Aztec Land
Maturin M. Ballou
I got into this, and soon I was on the platform in my tweed suit.
The Confessions of a Caricaturist, Vol 2 (of 2)
Harry Furniss
Tweed, at this time, was full of trout, but even then they were not easy to catch.
Angling Sketches
Andrew Lang
On Wednesday the Tweed had been roaring red from bank to bank.
Angling Sketches
Andrew Lang
Yon river is called the Tweed; and yonder, over the brig, is Scotland.
Lavengro
George Borrow

British Dictionary definitions for tweed

tweed

noun

a thick woollen often knobbly cloth produced originally in Scotland
(as modifier)a tweed coat

(plural) clothes made of this cloth, esp a man's or woman's suit

(plural) Australian informal trousers

Word Origin for tweed

C19: probably from tweel, a Scottish variant of twill, influenced by Tweed

Tweed

noun

a river in SE Scotland and NE England, flowing east and forming part of the border between Scotland and England, then crossing into England to enter the North Sea at Berwick. Length: 156 km (97 miles)

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

Word Origin and History for tweed

1847 (perhaps as early as 1831), a trade name said to have developed from a misreading (supposedly by London hatter James Locke) of tweel, Scottish variant of twill, possibly influenced by the river Tweed in Scotland.