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Tweed

(twēd)

A river, about 160 km (100 mi) long, of southeast Scotland forming part of the Scottish-English border. It flows eastward to the North Sea and has rich salmon fisheries.

tweed

(twēd)

1. A coarse, rugged, often nubby woolen fabric made in any of various twill weaves and used chiefly for casual suits and coats.

2. tweeds Clothing made of this fabric.

[Alteration (influenced by the river Tweed) of Scots tweel, twill, from Middle English twile; see TWILL.]

Tweed, William Magear Known as "Boss Tweed." 1823-1878.

American politician. The Democratic boss of New York City in the 1860s, he defrauded the city of millions of dollars before being exposed and convicted (1873).

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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