ground cloth
1
4.5
- noun
- US
:
tela de suelo
- "But he staggered under canvas, pulled his boots off, snored on the ground cloth for a while, and woke Jack with the clacking of his jaw.
Examples
-
One traditionally styled cotton ground cloth bore European embroidery.
Academic text (2011) -
Inman wrapped himself in his ground cloth and walked on without slackening his pace.
Fiction book (1997) -
For example, a poncho packs easily and can be used as a rain jacket, a windbreaker, a ground cloth, or a mosquito shield.
Blog text (9) -
He shook the ground cloth out and draped it along the porch edge to drip.
Fiction book (1997) -
We laid out a ground cloth under the tent to keep it dry during the rain.
-
To protect against moisture, I always use a ground cloth when camping.
-
Before setting up our camp, we made sure to place a ground cloth on the wet ground.
Synonyms
4
5.4
A strong waterproof sheet made of canvas or plastic that covers things outside
A waterproof sheet you spread under a tent to keep moisture out
A cloth used to clean a floor by wiping it
How Waterproof
Surface Forms
Morphology
The overall meaning is directly built from 'ground' (the earth's surface) + 'cloth' (a piece of textile): a cloth associated with or placed on the ground, so a B1 learner who knows both words will infer its location and purpose. The waterproof/protective nuance is a plausible, common extension of that composition and similar constructions exist cross-linguistically, making the expression immediately comprehensible.
Etymology
Ground cloth is a very literal name: it is a piece of cloth put on the ground under a tent to stop water and dirt getting in. So it means 'a waterproof piece of cloth laid on the ground to protect against water'.