Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A coarse, rugged, often nubby woolen fabric made in any of various twill weaves and used chiefly for casual suits and coats.
  • noun Clothing made of this fabric.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A twilled fabric, principally for men's wear, having an unfinished surface, and two colors generally combined in the same yarn.
  • Pertaining to or made of tweed.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A soft and flexible fabric for men's wear, made wholly of wool except in some inferior kinds, the wool being dyed, usually in two colors, before weaving.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A coarse woolen fabric used for clothing.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (usually in the plural) trousers made of flannel or gabardine or tweed or white cloth
  • noun thick woolen fabric used for clothing; originated in Scotland

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Alteration (influenced by the river Tweed) of Scots tweel, twill, from Middle English twile; see twill.]

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Examples

  • It was a typical 1970s and 1980s detective show, with a detective tracking down balding white men in tweed suits.

    MIND MELD: SciFi TV Shows That Deserve A Remake (with Videos) 2010

  • I think you need a devoted nounou and one of those lovely well-behaved children that walk calmly around the Park Monceau in tweed Bondpoint outfits practising their times tables (rather than my semi-feral brood) to be worthy of it ..

    smoke 2008

  • Come to think of it, which pro sports commissioner would you consider most likely to show up in tweed?

    USATODAY.com - Hopefully the answers are easy 2002

  • In some of the imposing old portraits, for example, I saw a moral gravity and a sense of duty that are missing from the faces of the recent presidents, who look like those friends of your parents who encouraged you to call them by their first names — friendly, unassuming guys in tweed jackets.

    The Organization Kid 2001

  • In some of the imposing old portraits, for example, I saw a moral gravity and a sense of duty that are missing from the faces of the recent presidents, who look like those friends of your parents who encouraged you to call them by their first names — friendly, unassuming guys in tweed jackets.

    The Organization Kid 2001

  • She smiled at Lady Eileen, but not patronizingly, because a mysterious instinct told her that the plain, pleasant young girl in Irish tweed was a "swell."

    Winnie Childs The Shop Girl 1901

  • Called the "Criterion" jacket and priced at $1,400, it is made of the water-shedding Ventile cotton used by the British military and is lined in English tweed.

    Beyond Spandex: Chic Styles for Cyclists Take Off Christina Binkley 2011

  • Three-quarter length tailored jackets in Italian tweed featured exaggerated shoulders,and were dissected at the arm-hole, and detailed with zips.

    Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph 2011

  • Three-quarter length tailored jackets in Italian tweed featured exaggerated shoulders,and were dissected at the arm-hole, and detailed with zips.

    Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph 2011

  • The tweed was a favourite of designer Jean Muir, whose pieces have been worn by the likes of Judi Dench, Diana Rigg and Julie Walters.

    News round-up 2008

Comments

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  • Steed would wear this a lot on "The Avengers."

    September 16, 2012