Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

corduroy

 - 4 dictionary results

cor⋅du⋅roy

[kawr-duh-roi, kawr-duh-roi]
–noun
1. a cotton-filling pile fabric with lengthwise cords or ridges.
2. corduroys, trousers made of this fabric.
–adjective
3. of, pertaining to, or resembling corduroy.
4. constructed of logs laid together transversely, as a road across swampy ground.
–verb (used with object)
5. to form (a road or the like) by laying logs transversely.
6. to make a corduroy road across or along.

Origin:
1780–90; perh. cord (cf. cords ) + duroy, deroy (now obs.) a woolen fabric originating in W England; later taken as F cord du roy the king's cords, though the fabric had no connection with France
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To corduroy
cor·du·roy   (kôr'də-roi')   
n.  
  1. A durable cut-pile fabric, usually made of cotton, with vertical ribs.

  2. corduroys Trousers made of corduroy.

  3. A road made of logs laid down crosswise.

adj.  
  1. Made of a fabric with vertical ribs.

  2. Made of logs laid down crosswise: a corduroy road.

tr.v.   cor·du·royed, cor·du·roy·ing, cor·du·roys
To build (a road) of logs laid down crosswise.

[Probably from cord + obsolete duroy, a coarse woolen fabric.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

corduroy 
1780, Amer.Eng., probably from cord + obs. 17c. duroy, a coarse fabric made in England. Folk etymology is from *corde du roi "the king's cord," but this is not attested in Fr., where the term for the cloth was velours à côtes. Applied in U.S. to a road of logs across swampy ground (1822).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia

corduroy

strong durable fabric with a rounded cord, rib, or wale surface formed by cut pile yarn. The back of the goods has a plain or a twill weave. Corduroy is made from any of the major textile fibres and with one warp and two fillings. After it is woven, the back of the cloth is coated with glue; the floats of pile yarn are then cut in their centre. The glue prevents the filling from drawing out of the goods during the cutting. The glue is removed from the face, which is then subjected to a series of brushings, waxings, and singeings to produce a velvetlike ribbed finish.

Learn more about corduroy with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see corduroy on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: