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DisputedOrigin is disputed

tweed

noun · first attested 19th century

The cloth may be a river, or a misread word for twill.

A rough woolen cloth associated with Scotland.

River Tweed·United Kingdom

55.7642°N -1.9866°W · Q503262

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Record

Relationship
Origin is disputed
Confidence
DisputedCompeting explanations remain live.
Attested
19th century
Part of speech
noun

Explanations here are written for this atlas. Dictionary text is not copied; the sources are linked so the claim can be checked.

How it traveled
  1. Step 1

    River Tweed

  2. Step 2

    tweel

  3. In English

    tweed

The entry

One account derives tweed from a misreading of tweel, Scots for twill. Another ties it to the River Tweed, which runs along the Scottish border. Both stories circulate; neither is beyond doubt.

United Kingdom

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