▪ I. twill, tweel, n.1
(twɪl), (twiːl)
Forms: α. 4 twyle, 6 twile; 4–5 twyll (6 tywell), 4–6 twylle (6 tywlle, tylle), 5– twill (7 tuill). β. 4 twel, 6 tweal-, 7 Sc. tueill, tueile, 8– (orig. Sc.) tweel.
[Northern and Sc. forms of twĭle twilly n.1, with normal dropping of the final -e, and (esp. in Sc.) lengthening of original ĭ to ē in the stem-syllable: cf. the Sc. forms of the verbs swill, till.]
A woven fabric characterized by parallel diagonal ridges or ribs, produced by causing the weft threads to pass over one and under two or more threads of the warp, instead of over and under in regular succession, as in plain weaving.
In quot. 1670, a twilled cloth used as a covering for a bed or mattress.
| α 1329 Acc. Chamberl. Scotl. (1771) 7 Sexaginta et decem ulnarum de twyll. 1330 in Dalrymple Ann. Scot. (1797) III. 356 De 70 ulnis de twylle. c 1330 Durham Acc. Rolls (Surtees) 519 In ij pec. de Twyle pro saccis faciendis. 1335–6 Ibid. 529 In ij peciis panni de Twyll pro saccis. 1465 Reg. Gild Co. Chr. York (1872) 294 Una mappa de twill, cont. viij ulnas. 1511 Knaresborough Wills (Surtees) I. 2, j mensale de le twile. 1552 Inv. Ch. Goods (Surtees No. 97) 10 One vestment of read twill. 1583 Shuttleworths' Acc. (Chetham Soc.) 12 Fivffe and tynty yardes of tywlle to be sakes. 1586 Ibid. 29 Sixtene yardes of tylle to be scakes. Ibid. 34 Sixtene yardes of tywell for to be sackes. 1670 Covel in Early Voy. Levant (Hakl. Soc.) 115 All that lay on twills and bedsteads were sorely bitten with little bugs. 1674 S. Jeake Arith. (1696) 65 In 1 Hundred of Tiking and Twill of Scotland, 120 Ells. a 1825 Forby Voc. E. Anglia, Twill, a sort of coarse linen cloth, of which loose frocks, trowsers, &c. are made for working men. 1851–4 Tomlinson's Cycl. Usef. Arts (1867) II. 856/1 Twills are distinguished by the number of leaves required in weaving them, as a three-leaf twill. 1889 Anthony's Photogr. Bull. II. 310 A large piece of black twill, or other opaque material. |
| β 1371 Durham Acc. Rolls (Surtees) 130, iiij manutergia de Twel. [1571: see twilled a.1] 1647 Caldwell Pap. (Maitl. Cl.) I. 99, 4 elnes of Northland tueill at 14 ss ye elne. a 1724 in Ramsay Tea-t. Misc. (1733) I. 29 (Maggie's Tocher) Ye shall hae twa good pocks That anes were o' the tweel. 1815 Scott Guy M. xxvi, As gude a tweel as ever cam aff a pirn. 1824 Blackw. Mag. XV. 220 Manchester tweel, or by whatever more proper denomination..a white waistcoat may be characterized. |
b. The, or a, method or process of weaving this fabric (also fig.); also the ribbed appearance or diagonal pattern of the material so woven.
| c 1779 in J. Skinner Misc. Poet. (1809) 185 Some pawky chiel, That..seems to understand the tweel O' rustic rhyme. 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 373 Crape..is woven with any crossing or tweel. Ibid. 1231 The first is the regular or run tweel, which..interweaves the warp and woof only at every fifth interval. 1843 Penny Cycl. XXVII. 178/1 When..in addition to a twill, the weaver has to produce..any kind of figure. 1892 Labour Commission Gloss., Twill, the pattern of a piece running diagonally from left to right. |
c. attrib. and Comb., as twill bolster, twill calico, twill cloth, twill-heddle, twill hem, twill overall; twill-wove adj.; twill set: see quot.
| 1656 Melrose Regality Rec. (S.H.S.) 185 A *tueile bolster. |
| 1904 Woollen Draper's Terms in Tailor & Cutt. 4 Aug. 480/1 *Twill Calico, a rather heavy calico with a twill pattern on it. |
| 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 1236 For such a pattern.., two sets of common *tweel-heddles, moved in the ordinary way,..are sufficient. |
| 1897 M. Kingsley W. Africa 420 My favourite coloured cloth, bright pink, with a cardinal *twill hem round it. |
| 1909 Cent. Dict. Supp. s.v. Set1, *Twill set, one of the three methods of inserting wire into the foundation of card-clothing. |
| 1880 Plain Hints Needlework 109 Strong twilled flannel with closely *twill-wove self-edge..used for petticoats. |
▪ II. twill, n.2
(twɪl)
dial. var. quill n.1
| 1664 Power Exp. Philos. i. 8 You may plainly see the twills by which they [feathers] stick to the wings. 1691 Ray N.C. Words (E.D.S.), Twill,..a spoole... In the South they call it winding of quills. 1788 W. Marshall Yorksh. II. Gloss. (E.D.S.), Twill, a quill. 1825 Brockett N.C. Words, Twill, a quill; either for a pen, or on which to wind yarn. 1855 Robinson Whitby Gloss. |
▪ III. twill, tweel, v.1
(twɪl), (twiːl)
[f. twill n.1 or twilled a.1]
trans. To weave so as to produce diagonal ridges on the surface of the cloth.
| 1808–18 Jamieson, To..tweel, v.a., to work cloth in such a manner, that the woof appears to cross the warp vertically. 1828 Craven Gloss., Twill, to weave in a particular manner. 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 1231 Florentine silks are tweeled with sixteen leaves. 1870 Rock Text. Fabr. vii. (1876) 73 Fustian..with a warp of linen thread and a woof of thick cotton, so twilled and cut that it showed on one side a thick but low pile. |
▪ IV. twill, v.2
dial. var. quill v.; cf. twill n.2
| 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair xvi, The great fat pin-cushion lined with pink inside, and twilled like a lady's night-cap. |
▪ V. † twill
obs. form of tewel.
| 1611 Florio, Budello dritto, the twill, the longaon or straight gut. 1659 in Torriano. |