cloth
cloth [cloth cloths] BrE [klɒθ] NAmE [klɔːθ] noun (pl. clothsBrE [klɒθs] ; NAmE [klɔːðz] )
1. uncountable material made by weaving or knitting cotton, wool, silk, etc
•woollen/cotton cloth
•bandages made from strips of cloth
•the cloth industry/trade
•a cloth bag
2. countable (often in compounds)a piece of cloth, often used for a special purpose, especially cleaning things or covering a table
• Wipe the surface with a damp cloth.
see also ↑dishcloth, ↑drop cloth, ↑floorcloth, ↑tablecloth
3. the clothsingular (literary)used to refer to Christian priests as a group
•a man of the cloth
see cut your coat according to your cloth at ↑coat n.
Word Origin:
Old English clāth, related to Dutch kleed and German Kleid, of unknown ultimate origin.
Thesaurus:
cloth noun U
•They used to export cotton cloth.
fabric • • material • • textile •
woven/cotton/woollen cloth/fabric/material/textiles
make/produce/weave/dye cloth/fabric/textiles
a length/piece/strip/roll/scrap of cloth/fabric/material
Synonyms:
fabric
cloth • material • textile
These are all words for woven or knitted cotton, silk, wool, etc, used for making things such as clothes and curtains, and for covering furniture.
fabric • woven or knitted cotton, silk, wool, etc, used for making things such as clothes and curtains, and for covering furniture: ▪ cotton fabric ◇ ▪ furnishing fabrics
Fabric is often fairly strong material, and is often used when talking about covering furniture or making curtains.
cloth • fabric made by weaving or knitting cotton, wool, silk, etc: ▪ His bandages had been made from strips of cloth.
Cloth is often fairly light material, especially in a form that has not been printed, treated, or prepared for use in any way. Cloth is frequently used in talking about buying and selling woven material.
material • fabric used for making clothes, curtains, etc: ▪ ‘What material is this dress made of?’ ‘Cotton.’ Material is a more general word than fabric or cloth as it has the related meaning of ‘a substance that things can be made from’. It is not used when it might not be clear which type of material is meant: furnishing material ◇ the material industry ◇ a material manufacturer
textile • any type of fabric made by weaving or knitting: ▪ He owns a factory producing a range of textiles. ◇ ▪ the textile industry
Textile is used mostly when talking about the business of making woven materials. The industry of making textiles is called textiles: ▪ He got a job in textiles.
woven/cotton/woollen fabric/cloth/material/textiles
synthetic fabric/material/textiles
printed fabric/cloth/textiles
furnishing/curtain/dress fabric/material
Example Bank:
•Wipe the table with a damp cloth.
•a jacket made from woollen cloth
•His bandages had been made from strips of cloth.
•She works in the cloth trade.
•They used to export cotton cloth.
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