plain weave
- noun
- /pleɪn wiːv/
- Specialized
:
tejido liso
- Broadcloths are kind of simple, plain weave, lightweight, often used for shirts and blouses.
- plain weave textiles
- plain weave cloth
- plain weave strips
Examples
-
A crucial development in both Ewe and Asante textiles was the alternation of weft- and warp-faced plain-weave areas.
Academic text (2006) -
Most cloths in these photographs are warp-faced plain-weave textiles.
Academic text (2006) -
Muslin is a thin plain weave cotton with no stretch, no particular texture, no obvious wrong side, right side.
-
On the right sits a woman wearing a cotton titriku, 'thick cloth', a weft-faced plain-weave textile, and a rayon kente.
Academic text (2006) -
The weaving of cloth with alternating strips of entirely warp- or weft-faced plain weave was likely a preliminary step toward the use of two pairs of heddles.
Academic text (2006) -
The use of weft-faced plain weave in combination with warp-faced plain weave strips in the same textile indicates that it was woven in the Ewe-speaking area.
Academic text (2006) -
The tablecloth has a beautiful plain weave that makes it very easy to clean.
-
She chose a dress made of a soft plain weave fabric for the summer party.
-
Many basic shirts are crafted from a durable plain weave cotton fabric.
Synonyms
A simple pattern where threads cross over and under to make a smooth, slightly shiny cloth
How Complex
- Specialized
4
7.7
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning of 'plain weave' is directly compositional: 'plain' = simple/unembellished and 'weave' = the interlaced thread pattern, so the phrase denotes a simple/basic type of weave. This straightforward adjective+noun combination follows common cross-linguistic patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE's meaning even if they lack technical details about warp and weft.
Etymology
Plain weave comes from the very plain pattern of weave, where each thread goes over one and then under the next to make a flat, simple crisscross. That's why the name means a 'basic' or 'simple' way to make cloth and is used for many everyday fabrics.