denim
DEN-im
/ˈdɛnɪm/
A sturdy cotton twill fabric, typically blue, used for jeans and durable work clothing.
Recognizable by its diagonal twill rib pattern created by weaving indigo-dyed warp threads with white weft threads.
The story behind the word. The word is a corruption of the French phrase 'serge de Nîmes', referring to a sturdy twill fabric produced in Nîmes, France. English merchants shortened 'de Nîmes' into 'denim'. Meanwhile, 'jeans' came from 'Gênes', the French name for Genoa, Italy, where sailors wore heavy cotton trousers.
Word relationships
- dungaree: Dungaree refers to coarse blue denim or trousers made from it, originating from India.
- twill: Twill is the overarching weave structure category that includes denim.
- silk: Silk is ultra-fine, smooth, lightweight, and delicate compared to rugged denim.
Commonly confused with
- jean: Jean was originally a cotton fabric from Genoa, while denim came from Nîmes.
Collocations
- denim jacket
- blue denim
- raw denim
- denim jeans
Example sentences
- "Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis reinforced denim trousers with copper rivets in 1873 to create modern jeans." Fashion history citation
- "A classic denim jacket remains an essential outerwear piece for autumn wardrobe layering." Casual wear review
Memory hook
DENIM comes DE Nîmes in France. De Nîmes jeans fabric.
When not to use
Do not use 'denim' and 'jeans' interchangeably in technical contexts; denim is the fabric, jeans are the trousers.
Fun facts
- Indigo dye was chosen for denim because it binds to the outside of threads rather than penetrating deep, allowing denim to fade uniquely over time.
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.