Origins of Common Words - Denim

About the history, origins, and definitions of the common word denim.

Denim - Denim, the stuff that jeans are made of, referred originally to a twilled serge cloth manufactured in Nimes, a town in southern France. The name of the cloth first reflected its city of origin--serge de Nimes, "serge from Nimes"--but was eventually condensed and shortened to denim.