Broadcloth

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈbɹɔːdˌklɒθ/

Definitions

1. A closely woven textile made chiefly from wool or cotton, renowned for its smoothness and durability, is often utilized in crafting high-quality clothing items
2. A type of fabric that is tightly woven and commonly made from wool or cotton, known for its superior finish and durability, frequently used in the production of tailored garments
3. This textile is characterized by its robust and smooth texture, typically made from wool or cotton, and is popular for creating long-lasting clothing

Etymology: Broadcloth is a compound of two plain English words, "broad" and "cloth," and the meaning of its first element is more literal than one might expect. In the textile trade, "broad" referred to the width of a woven fabric, so broadcloth was simply cloth woven on a wide loom, as opposed to narrower goods. The term therefore describes a physical dimension of the cloth rather than its quality, and the fine, smooth finish associated with it came to be attached to the name over time. The word is a transparent compound, so there is no hidden foreign root or dramatic shift to trace. Its parts combine exactly as their everyday meanings suggest, and the sense of a dense, tightly woven wool or cotton fabric grew out of the wide-loom origin.

Synonyms: fabric, material, textile