Gingham

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɡɪŋ.əm/

Definitions

1. A fabric made predominantly of cotton that is identifiable by its distinctive checkered pattern and is often utilized in garments and household textiles
2. A lightweight woven fabric with a regular pattern of colored squares, commonly used for clothing and home decor
3. Cotton cloth characterized by a repeating square design created by alternating colored and white threads in a plain weave

Etymology: The most striking thing about "gingham" is that its origin is still disputed, and the two leading candidates point to very different parts of the world. One theory traces it to the Malay word "genggang", meaning "ajar" or "apart", which describes the way striped or checked fabric looks when its threads are separated. The other suggests a corruption of "Guingamp", a town in Brittany, France, where this cloth may have been made. Both explanations are plausible enough that etymologists have never settled the question. Neither theory explains the word fully, so it is worth weighing them. The Malay link would make the English word a loan from Southeast Asian trade, carried to Europe by Dutch or Portuguese merchants, while the Breton link would imply that a regional French fabric gave its name to the English one. Each story fits the cloth's plain checked pattern, which is why the debate has lasted.