noun
Origin: < misreading of tweel, Scot form of twill: later assoc. with Tweed
See tweed in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
Origin:
Origin: Alteration (possibly influenced by the river Tweed)
Origin: of Scots tweel, twill
Origin: , from Middle English twile; see twill
. Word History: Changes in word forms are not always the result of patterned changes in consonants and vowels over time. In the case of the word tweed, as in many others, human error may have played a part. Tweed may be the result of a misreading of tweel, an originally Scots form of twill. Tweed might also be a misreading of an abbreviated form of tweeled, a form of twilled. Association with Tweed, the name of the river that is part of the border between England and Scotland, probably helped support the misreading of what was originally a trade name. Harris Tweed, a particular type of tweed, is still trademarked and must be woven from yarn dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Tweed is said to have first been used around 1831, but it is not recorded until 1847.
, William Marcy Known as “Boss Tweed.” 1823-1878.
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