tweed

[ tweed ]

/ twid /

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.

Nearby words

Origin of tweed

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

Tweed

[ tweed ]

/ twid /

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
That meant liquid embroidered metallics, satin lace-up skirts – and even a tweed bikini.
Jason Wu’s Softer Side|Isabel Wilkinson|September 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
The Tweed salmon fisheries are famous, and the lesser rivers of the Merse are held in high esteem by anglers.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 6|Various
The thin elbow in the tweed sleeve nudged her, provoking a joyous giggle.
The Dop Doctor|Clotilde Inez Mary Graves
At the same time, after we have once crossed the Tweed, we may as well leave the high road.
Bonnie Prince Charlie|G. A. Henty
What she had shrewdly taken stock of was the cut and material of the English tweed sports suit Leslie was wearing.
Marjorie Dean, College Sophomore|Pauline Lester
But nowhere south of Tweed are finer specimens to be found than in this old Hampshire park.
Lippincott's Magazine, Vol. 26, August, 1880|Various

British Dictionary definitions for tweed

tweed

/ (twiːd) /

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

/ (twiːd) /

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

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.