corduroy

Corduroy's origin is uncertain, but it's probably a blend of 'cord' and 'duroy,' a coarse fabric made in 17th century England. The popular tale that it comes from French 'corde du roi' ('cloth of the king') doesn't hold up, since that phrase is unattested in French. Another possibility is 'cordesoy,' from 'corde de soie' ('rope of silk'), referenced in a 1756 advertisement.

The facts don't give us a documented shift in meaning — just competing theories about how the word was formed in the first place.

It may share a root with 'serge,' as 'cordesoy' has been compared to the contemporary term 'serg(e)dusoys,' meaning 'silk serge.'