tweed

¹ American  

[tweed] / twid /

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.

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Tweed ² American  

[tweed] / twid /

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.

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tweed ¹ British  

/ 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

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Tweed ² British  

/ 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)

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Etymology

Origin of tweed

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

Example Sentences

Across the aisle, a young man with shaggy hair and a tweed blazer noticed the book on my lap.

From The Wall Street Journal

A man with a spongy face, a bushel of white hair, and a patched tweed jacket grumbles at Jakob from the bar.

From Literature

On the Scottish island of Harris, the setting for this novel, expensive tweeds are a costly commodity.

From Los Angeles Times

"I wanted to see whether, when you strip away the usual Chanel signatures - the tweed, the jewelled buttons - you can still get to that essence," he told WWD.

From BBC

Designed by her dressmaker Norman Hartnell, the Queen first wore her Harris tweed jacket and Balmoral Tartan skirt in the 1950s.

From BBC

Related Words

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