cloth

[klawth, kloth] /klɔθ, klɒθ/
noun, plural cloths
[klawth z, kloth z, klawths, kloths] /klɔðz, klɒðz, klɔθs, klɒθs/ (Show IPA)
1.
a fabric formed by weaving, felting, etc., from wool, hair, silk, flax, cotton, or other fiber, used for garments, upholstery, and many other items.
2.
a piece of such a fabric for a particular purpose:
an altar cloth.
3.
the particular attire of any profession, especially that of the clergy.
Compare man of the cloth.
4.
the cloth, the clergy:
men of the cloth.
5.
Nautical.
  1. one of the lengths of canvas or duck of standard width sewn side by side to form a sail, awning, or tarpaulin.
  2. any of various pieces of canvas or duck for reinforcing certain areas of a sail.
  3. a number of sails taken as a whole.
6.
Obsolete. a garment; clothing.
adjective
7.
of or made of cloth:
She wore a cloth coat trimmed with fur.
8.
clothbound.
Origin
before 900; Middle English cloth, clath cloth, garment, Old English clāth; cognate with Dutch kleed, German Kleid
Related forms
clothlike, adjective
undercloth, noun
Can be confused
close, cloth, clothe, clothes, cloze (see synonym study at close)
Examples from the web for cloth
  • Tugging causes the fabric to curl toward the center, and the cloth will also stretch.
  • cloth dye poisoning occurs when someone swallows large amounts of these substances.
  • cloth diapers have come a long way from safety pins.
  • Four days isn't a lot of time to weave an entire fantasy world of whole cloth.
  • Try different colours of cloth or matte construction paper for background and see what works best.
  • One way to go a greener route would be to use cloth napkins.
  • Cut lengths of hardware cloth to fit inside the bed.
  • Within a hundred years it had become the brimless cloth pileus, which gradually came into fashion among academics.
  • Attach wire-mesh hardware cloth to one of the frames.
  • In summer, you can replace the cover with shade cloth or lath, creating a nursery for cuttings.
British Dictionary definitions for cloth

cloth

/klɒθ/
noun (pl) cloths (klɒθs; klɒðz)
1.
  1. a fabric formed by weaving, felting or knitting wool, cotton, etc
  2. (as modifier): a cloth bag
2.
a piece of such fabric used for a particular purpose, as for a dishcloth
3.
the cloth
  1. the clothes worn by a clergyman
  2. the clergy
4.
(obsolete) clothing
5.
(nautical) any of the panels of a sail
6.
(mainly Brit) a piece of coloured fabric, used on the stage as scenery
7.
(W African) a garment in a traditional non-European style
Word Origin
Old English clāth; related to Old Frisian klēth, Middle High German kleit cloth, clothing
Word Origin and History for cloth
n.

Old English claþ "a cloth, sail, cloth covering, woven or felted material to wrap around one," hence, also, "garment," from Proto-Germanic *kalithaz (cf. Old Frisian klath "cloth," Middle Dutch cleet, Dutch kleed "garment, dress," Middle High German kleit, German Kleid "garment"), of obscure origin. As an adjective from 1590s. The cloth "the clerical profession" is from 17c. in reference to characteristic dress.

Idioms and Phrases with cloth

cloth

see: