Sheetings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A broad piece of fabric or material typically used to cover or protect surfaces
2. The act of producing or providing sheets, often in a manufacturing or textile context
3. Referring to layers or sections of material that can be applied or utilized for various purposes

Etymology: "Sheetings" is the plural of "sheeting," a noun for lengths of cloth, and the two words come from the same root. "Sheeting" is formed from "sheet" plus the suffix "-ing," which in this case turns the noun for a single broad piece of material into a name for the material itself, sold and measured by the length. The plural form is what gives the word its trade flavour. A shop might stock several "sheetings" of different weights, each a continuous run of cloth rather than a finished garment. Because the base word "sheet" is old in English and originally referred to a broad piece of linen, the suffix simply extended that sense to the cloth from which such pieces were cut.

Synonyms: layers, sheets