tweed
[tweed]
- 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.
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Origin of tweed
1835–45; apparently back formation from Scots tweedling twilling (now obsolete) < ?
Tweed
[tweed]
- 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.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for tweed
Contemporary Examples
Tweed is estimated to have swindled the equivalent of $3.5 billion from New York during his time as a senator.
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.
He tried his hand at setting up a chain of movie theaters in Ireland, and worked at importing Irish tweed to Italy.
That meant liquid embroidered metallics, satin lace-up skirts – and even a tweed bikini.
Among his favorite garments were a raincoat, a tweed jacket, and a gray wash denim coat with studded straps.
Historical Examples
This man was the Tweed of Mexico, and one of the most venal officials ever trusted by the people.
Aztec LandMaturin 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 SketchesAndrew Lang
On Wednesday the Tweed had been roaring red from bank to bank.
Angling SketchesAndrew Lang
Yon river is called the Tweed; and yonder, over the brig, is Scotland.
LavengroGeorge Borrow
tweed
- 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
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Word Origin
C19: probably from tweel, a Scottish variant of twill, influenced by Tweed
Tweed
- 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)
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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
n.
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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper