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wadmal

wadmal

9.9
A coarse woolen cloth used in the past in Scandinavia and the British Isles to make warm clothing and blankets
  • noun
  • /ˈwɑːdˌmæl/
  • Archaic
translation icon : wadmal
  • In the past, people wore garments made from wadmal to stay warm during harsh winters.

Examples

  • It was enough to card, spin, and weave the plain wadmal cloth we needed.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The women moved out the door and came back bearing silver brooches, lengths of wadmal, sealskins, reindeer pelts, and combs of walrus tusk.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • "At the wharf, they saw you dressed in sodden wadmal."

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Sweethearts draped warstrips, red ribbons cut from wadmal cloth, about the shoulders of their men, for luck.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The old store specialized in traditional fabrics, including wadmal for making blankets and clothing.

  • During the festival, they showcased handmade outfits crafted from colorful wadmal cloth.

Synonyms

stroud
vswadmal
  • Archaic
9.9

A coarse wool cloth used in trade for furs with Native American people

is used mainly in Scandinavia and the British Isles rather than in American trade
mackinaw
vswadmal
  • US
9.9

A heavy wool cloth with a plaid pattern used for warm coats and blankets

is a simpler coarse woolen fabric lacking nap or patterned finish

Surface Forms

wadmal singular
wadmals plural

Etymology

Wadmal comes from the Old Norse word vaðmál, which named a coarse wool cloth people in Iceland and Scandinavia used for warm clothes and blankets. So today wadmal still means that rough, warm woolen fabric.