denim

Everyday

1. A strong cotton cloth, usually blue, used to make jeans, jackets, skirts and overalls. tree →
2. (plural, informal) Denims: clothes, especially jeans, made of this cloth. tree →

In the lessons

In design and technology and textiles lessons, denim is a twill weave (diagonal lines) dyed with indigo, which is why jeans fade. In history, jeans were made strong for miners and workers in the American West by Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis in 1873. In everyday life, denim is the classic casual fabric. Phrases: «denim jacket», «denim shorts», «double denim», «blue denim».

Examples

• My favourite jacket is made of denim. tree →
• Jeans are made of strong cotton denim. tree →
• Denim was first used for workers' trousers because it is tough. tree →
• She wore denim shorts on the beach. tree →
• Wearing a denim jacket with jeans is called «double denim». tree →
• Denim fades each time you wash it. tree →
• Indigo dye gives denim its blue colour. tree →

Note

Uncountable: «some denim», «a denim jacket» (as an adjective). The word may come from French «serge de Nîmes» (cloth from the town of Nîmes), though experts are not completely sure. «Jeans» are the trousers; «denim» is the cloth.