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corduroy

Etymology and origin of the English word corduroy

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈkɔːdəɹɔɪ/ (UK); /ˈkɔɹdəɹɔɪ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is probably cord with obsolete duroy, the name of a coarse woollen cloth made in the west of England,[2][3][4][5] itself of unknown origin.[3][4] The popular explanation from French corde du roi “the king's cord” is not supported, as the phrase is not found in French.[3][4][5] Merriam-Webster calls the origin unknown.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A coarse, thick-ribbed cotton fabric (1774).[4][7]

Semantic evolution

In the plural the word meant corduroy trousers (1787–91).[3][7] In the U.S. it was applied from the 1780s to a road of logs laid crosswise over swampy ground, from its ribbed look;[4][3][7] the verb, to build such a road, is from 1854–62.[6][7] The adjective is from 1789.[3][4][7]

Timeline

  • 1774 – the fabric.[4][7]
  • 1780 – corduroy road.[3]
  • 1787–91 – corduroy trousers.[3][7]
  • 1789 – adjective.[3][4][7]
  • 1854 – verb, to build a log road.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A durable cut-pile fabric, usually of cotton, with lengthwise ribs.
  2. (plural) Trousers made of this fabric.
  3. A road made of logs laid side by side across it, as over swampy ground.

Adjective

  1. Made of or resembling corduroy.
  2. Of a road, made of logs laid crosswise.

Verb

  1. To build a road of logs laid crosswise.
  • cord

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Corduroy.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/corduroy. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·