tweed

¹

[tweed]

noun

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

2. tweeds, garments made of this cloth.

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

Tweed

²

[tweed]

noun

1. William Marcy Boss Tweed, 1823–78, U.S. politician.

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

3. a male given name.

tweed

¹

/ twiːd /

noun

1. 1. a thick woollen often knobbly cloth produced originally in Scotland

   2. ( as modifier )

      a tweed coat

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

3. informal,  (plural) trousers

Tweed

²

/ twiːd /

noun

1. 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)

Word History and Origins

Origin of tweed¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tweed¹

C19: probably from tweel , a Scottish variant of _twill , influenced by _Tweed

Example Sentences

Costelloe often used traditional Irish fabrics and textiles in his designs, including Irish linen and tweed.

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He’s wearing one of his many tweed jackets with green elbow patches and an emerald pocket square to match.

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“You there, in the tweed cap! May I borrow your velocipede?”

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The night before my first day of work at NACA, I touched up my navy-blue tweed pleated skirt and jacket and checked my stockings to make sure they didn’t have any runs.

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Another is Harris tweed, the manufacturer of a fabric handwoven in the Outer Hebrides, which has risen from near death and now employs hundreds, selling its products all over the world.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cashmere 
• fleece 
• fur 
• hair 
• mohair 
• yarn