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gingham

GING-uhm · noun

MalayFrenchEnglish

Origin

Gingham likely comes from Malay genggang, meaning 'ajar' or 'apart' — possibly describing the fabric's distinct, separated stripes. Alternatively, it may be a corruption of Guingamp, a town in Brittany, France, where the cloth was reportedly made.

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Journey

There isn't enough here to trace a change in meaning — the word seems to have named this checked or striped cotton cloth from early on, with its origin split between two competing stories.

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