GABARDINE


Meaning of GABARDINE in English

any of several varieties of worsted, cotton, silk, and mixed tightly woven fabrics, embodying certain features in common and chiefly made into suits and overcoats. It is a relatively strong and firm cloth, made with a twill weave, and somewhat resembling whipcord but of lighter texture. The weft, or filling, lies entirely at the back and is therefore not visible from the front, a circumstance that allows the use of filling of inferior quality without loss of durability, for only the warp surface is exposed to wear. Gabardine was originally a type of waterproofed fabric employed for the manufacture of raincoats. A fabric of a more open and much lighter texture, produced entirely of silk, is called silk, or voile, gabardine.

Britannica English vocabulary.      Английский словарь Британика.