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Cloth

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cloth

[klawth, kloth] noun, plural cloths [klawthz, klothz, klawths, kloths] , adjective
–noun
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, esp. that of the clergy. Compare man of the cloth.
4. the cloth, the clergy: men of the cloth.
5. Nautical.
a. one of the lengths of canvas or duck of standard width sewn side by side to form a sail, awning, or tarpaulin.
b. any of various pieces of canvas or duck for reinforcing certain areas of a sail.
c. 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:
bef. 900; ME cloth, clath cloth, garment, OE clāth; c. D kleed, G Kleid


clothlike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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cloth   (klôth, klŏth)   
n.   pl. cloths (klôths, klôthz, klŏths, klŏthz)
  1. Fabric or material formed by weaving, knitting, pressing, or felting natural or synthetic fibers.

  2. A piece of fabric or material used for a specific purpose, as a tablecloth.

  3. Nautical

    1. Canvas.

    2. A sail.

  4. The characteristic attire of a profession, especially that of the clergy.

  5. The clergy: a man of the cloth.


[Middle English, from Old English clāth.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

cloth 
O.E. clað "a cloth," hence, "garment," from P.Gmc. *kalithaz, origin obscure. The cloth "the clerical profession" first attested 1701.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

cloth

see out of whole cloth; sackcloth and ashes.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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