Serge is a type of strong woollen cloth used to make clothes such as skirts, coats, and trousers.
He wore a blue serge suit.
serge in British English
(sɜːdʒ)
noun
1.
a twill-weave woollen or worsted fabric used for clothing
2.
a similar twilled cotton, silk, or rayon fabric
Word origin
C14: from Old French sarge, from Vulgar Latin sārica (unattested), from Latin sēricum, from Greek sērikon silk, from sērikos silken, from sēr silkworm
serge in American English
(sɜrdʒ)
noun
1.
a strong twilled fabric with a diagonal rib, made of wool, silk, rayon, etc. and used for suits, coats, etc.
verb transitiveWord forms: serged or ˈserging
2.
to finish (a cut edge, as of a garment seam) with overcast stitches to prevent raveling
Word origin
ME sarge < OFr < VL *sarica < L serica, silken garments < sericus, silken, lit., of the Seres, a people of E Asia, prob. the Chinese < Gr Sēres, prob. ult. < Chin se, silk
Examples of 'serge' in a sentence
serge
"Her voice was low and soft and contrasted with her black serge skirt and jacket and her sensible shoes.
Cassidy, Anne IN REAL LIFE (2003)
Following them came the train's female conductor, a large woman in large boots, a blue serge skirt being her chief badge of gender.
Aldiss, Brian SOMEWHERE EAST OF LIFE (2003)
Word lists with
serge
fabric
In other languages
serge
British English: serge NOUN
Serge is a type of strong woollen cloth used to make clothes such as skirts, coats, and trousers.