selvage

Etymology

From early modern Dutch selfegghe (Modern Dutch zelfkant (“selvage”)), equivalent to self + edge.

noun

  1. (weaving) The edge of a woven fabric, where the weft (side-to-side) threads run around the warp (top to bottom) threads, creating a finished edge.
  2. Any edge of fabric finished so as to prevent raveling.
    Her stately limbs the gather'd folds surround, / And spread their golden selvage on the ground. 1803, Erasmus Darwin, The Temple of Nature, The Gutenberg Project, published 2008
  3. (printing) The excess area of any printed or perforated sheet, such as the border on a sheet of postage stamps or the wide margins of an engraving.
  4. (geology) A distinct border of a mass of igneous rock. It is usually fine-grained or glassy due to rapid cooling.
  5. (geology) Clay-like material found along and around a geological fault.
  6. The edge plate of a lock, through which the bolt passes
  7. (mining) That part of a lode adjacent to the walls on either side.

verb

  1. To give a selvage to (fabric).

Attribution / Disclaimer All definitions come directly from Wiktionary using the Wiktextract library. We do not edit or curate the definitions for any words, if you feel the definition listed is incorrect or offensive please suggest modifications directly to the source (wiktionary/selvage), any changes made to the source will update on this page periodically.