Jersey

How to spell jersey

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce jersey

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does jersey mean?

1. nounA knitted pullover or close-fitting shirt, especially one worn by a sports team.
2. nounA soft, slightly stretchy knitted fabric used for clothing.

Jersey in a sentence

• The goalkeeper wore a bright yellow jersey that stood out on the pitch.

• The dress was cut from a soft cotton jersey that draped beautifully.

• She pulled a warm woollen jersey over her shirt before heading outside.

• This stretchy jersey is ideal for comfortable everyday tops.

Where does jersey come from?

Language of origin: Old Norse

This word is a place name turned everyday noun: it comes straight from Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands lying off the coast of Normandy. The island had long been celebrated for its hand-knitted woollen garments worn by fishermen and sailors, and by the 1500s the close, machine-friendly knitted wool itself was simply being called jersey after its source. From the fabric the word naturally extended to the close-fitting knitted garment made from it, and later to the pullover shirts worn by sporting teams. The island name itself is older still, generally traced to Old Norse roots left by Norse settlers, often explained as a personal name combined with a word for an island or inlet. Because the spelling preserves the island name exactly, the only real trap is remembering the single -s- and the -ey ending rather than writing it like a plural.

How the word is built

• jersey (from the Channel Island of Jersey, famed for its knitted woollens); no productive prefix or suffix