Repp

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of fabric characterized by its ribbed texture, often used in making garments and accessories ; a style of striped necktie commonly worn in traditional or formal settings ; an informal term for a representative or advocate acting on behalf of a person or organization
2. A textile featuring raised parallel ridges used in clothing and upholstery ; a diagonal-striped or motif-patterned necktie popular in certain cultural or institutional groups ; slang for an individual serving as a spokesperson or agent for a group or cause
3. A woven material distinguished by fine ribs running across its surface for decorative or functional use ; a patterned neckwear associated with particular clubs, schools, or regiments ; colloquial expression for one who publicly supports or promotes a team, brand, or community

Etymology: "Repp" is an alternative spelling of "rep", and the word has a tangled, backwards history. It began as a clipping of longer words starting with "rep-", such as "reputation", "representative" and "repertory", each shortened in different circles. The fabric sense, for instance, comes from "reps", a textile name, which people then misread as a plural. The trouble started with "reps". Speakers encountered it as if it were the plural of a singular form, so they worked backwards and produced "rep" as the supposed singular. This back-formation is why a word meaning a ridged cloth ended up with a singular that never existed in its original use. Once "rep" was established, it spread across several meanings at once: the textile, the striped necktie associated with certain clubs and schools, and the slang figure of a spokesperson or agent. Each sense owes its shape to a different clipped original, and "repp" appears as a spelling variant of the same short form.

Synonyms: rep, representation, sample, example