monk's cloth
- noun
- /mʌŋks klɔθ/
- She enjoys cross-stitching on monk's cloth because of its easy-to-count weave.
Examples
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The drapes were made from monk's cloth to add texture to the room.
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The artisan chose a rich monk's cloth for the tapestry.
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A piece of monk's cloth was used in the traditional upholstery project.
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I bought some monk's cloths for my sewing project.
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She enjoys cross-stitching on monk's cloth because of its easy-to-count weave.
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A piece of monk's cloth was used in the traditional upholstery project.
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The drapes were made from monk's cloth to add texture to the room.
Synonyms
Cloth made by weaving or knitting fibers used for clothes and curtains
A piece of material made by joining threads together and used for making clothes or for cleaning
A strong cloth made from flax used for sheets and tablecloths
How Coarse
Surface Forms
Morphology
monk's + cloth
The phrase combines a clear possessive/relational element 'monk's' with 'cloth', so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer it denotes a type of cloth associated with monks. However, the specific textile properties (heavy cotton/linen, coarse basket weave, use for embroidery) are lexicalized and not predictable from the parts alone, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Monk's cloth may come from the plain, rough fabric monks once wore or kept in their houses, so the name links monk's (the people) with cloth (the material). Because it has a simple, strong weave, people used it for curtains and embroidery, and today Monk's cloth means a heavy woven fabric used for those jobs.