serge

¹

[ surj ]

noun

1. a twilled worsted or woolen fabric used especially for clothing.
2. cotton, rayon, or silk in a twill weave.

serge

²

[ surj ]

verb (used with object)

, serged, serg·ing.

1. to overcast (unfinished seams or edges, as in a fabric or rug), especially by machine, in order to prevent fraying.

Serge

³

[ surj; French serzh ]

noun

1. a male given name.

serge

/ sɜːdʒ /

noun

1. a twill-weave woollen or worsted fabric used for clothing
2. a similar twilled cotton, silk, or rayon fabric

Word History and Origins

Origin of serge¹

1350–1400; < French; replacing Middle English sarge < Middle French < Vulgar Latin *sārica, for Latin sērica ( lāna ) Chinese (wool), i.e., silk; seric-

Origin of serge²

Perhaps to be identified with serge ¹, though sense shift is unclear

Word History and Origins

Origin of serge¹

C14: from Old French sarge, from Vulgar Latin sārica (unattested), from Latin sēricum, from Greek sērikon silk, from sērikos silken, from sēr silkworm

Example Sentences

Former Tottenham and Nottingham Forest full-back Serge Aurier, 31, played alongside former Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha at Galatasaray towards the end of last season before leaving in the summer.

From BBC

Legend sent voice-and-piano demos he cut at home to Stevens, who lives and works in New York’s Catskill Mountains; Stevens says Legend gave him “total creative freedom” to devise arrangements for the songs, which led the producer to thoughts of “Sesame Street” and the Muppets but also of Stevie Wonder, Henry Mancini, the Beatles and Serge Gainsbourg.

From Los Angeles Times

When the action got under way, Dejan Kulusevski put Spurs in front only for goals from Dayot Upamecano, Serge Gnabry and Thomas Muller to give Bayern a 3-1 lead.

From BBC

Zirkzee was sent on, and it only took 104 seconds for the Dutchman to make a huge impact on his Bundesliga bow, slotting home a pass from Serge Gnabry, who would also score in injury time to seal Bayern's 3-1 victory.

From BBC

But even as the $4,000 operation was still in the planning stage, it became clear that IBM executives could not understand how a transgender employee could fit into a corporate culture that was “still white shirt, blue serge suits and wingtip shoes,” as Conway’s IBM supervisor told me.

From Los Angeles Times