so called from its great breadth
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
It required two weavers, side by side, to fling the shuttle across it. Originally two yards wide, now about fifty-four inches; but the word is now used to signify a fine, plain-wove, black cloth.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “so called from its great breadth” mean?
It required two weavers, side by side, to fling the shuttle across it. Originally two yards wide, now about fifty-four inches; but the word is now used to signify a fine, plain-wove, black cloth.
Is “so called from its great breadth” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.