English Explanatory Dictionary

cloth

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A fabric, usually made of woven, knitted, or felted fibres or filaments, such as used in dressing, decorating, cleaning or other practical use. Sometimes, woven fabric specifically.
  2. Specifically, a tablecloth, especially as spread before a meal or removed afterwards.
  3. A piece of cloth used for a particular purpose.
  4. Substance or essence; the whole of something complex.
  5. Appearance; seeming.
  6. A form of attire that represents a particular profession or status.
  7. The priesthood.

Pronunciation

klŏth /klɒθ/ /klɔːθ/ klôth /klɔθ/ /klɑθ/ En-us-cloth.ogg klōth /kloʊθ/

Word forms

cloth cloths clothes cloath clath clathe claith

Etymology

From Middle English cloth, clath, from Old English clāþ (“cloth, clothes, covering, sail”), from Proto-Germanic *klaiþą (“garment”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *gleyt- (“to cling to, cleave, stick”) (compare Albanian ngjit (“to stick, attach, glue”)), a form of *gleh₁y- (“to smear; to stick”). Cognate with Scots clath (“cloth”), North Frisian klaid (“dress, garment”), Saterland Frisian Klood (“dress, apparel”), West Frisian kleed (“cloth, article of clothing”), Dutch kleed (“robe, dress”), Low German kleed (“dress, garment”), German Kleid (“gown, dress”), Danish klæde (“cloth, dress”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk klede, Swedish kläde (“cloth”), Icelandic klæði (“cloth, dressing”), Old English clīþan (“to adhere, stick”).

Synonyms

fabric material textile cloth stuff

Related words

clothe clothes clothing

Derived words

Aida cloth airplane cloth altar cloth altar-cloth American cloth back-cloth backcloth back-cloth star barkcloth barmcloth bolting cloth book-cloth brattice cloth breechcloth breech-cloth broadcloth cerecloth charcloth cheesecloth chincloth clothback clothbound cloth cap cloth-eared cloth-ears clothed cloth hall clothhead clothier clothify clothism clothless clothlike clothmaker clothmaking cloth nappy cloth of gold cloth of tissue cloth pad clothwork clothworker clothy clothyard clot shot commando cloth communion cloth composition cloth crumbcloth cut from the same cloth cut of the same cloth cut out of the same cloth cut one's cloth to suit one's purse cut one's coat according to one's cloth cut the coat according to the cloth dishcloth dish cloth dish-cloth doublecloth drabcloth draw the cloth
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