A sturdy cotton twill fabric, typically blue, used for jeans, overalls, and other clothing.
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French (place name)17th centurywell-attested
From French 'serge de Nîmes' (serge from Nîmes), referring to a sturdy fabric produced in the southern French city of Nîmes. The phrasewas shortened in English to 'de Nîmes,' then contracted to 'denim.' Nîmes (ancient Nemausus) is a city in the Languedoc region of southern France with a textile tradition dating back to Roman
Did you know?
Both 'denim' and 'jeans' are named after cities. 'Denim' is from 'de Nîmes' (from Nîmes, France), and 'jeans' is from 'Gênes' (theFrench name for Genoa, Italy), where a similar sturdy fabric was produced. So when you wear a pair of denim jeans, you are etymologically wearing 'fabric from Nîmes cut in the Genoa style' — two
-silk blend, while the cotton twill we call denim today was likely developed separately, possibly in Genoa (whence 'jean,' from 'Gênes,' the French name for Genoa).