gabardine

/ˈɡæbəˌdiːn/

//ˈɡæbəˌdiːn// noun

"gabardine" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gabardine” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A type of woolen cloth with a diagonal ribbed texture on one side.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gabardine · gabardine · English

gabardine · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "G" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for gabardine
PropertyValue
Headwordgabardine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡæbəˌdiːn/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “gabardine” in English

gabardineranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

gabardine is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɡæbəˌdiːn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for gabardine, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Recorded since 1904, altering the earlier gaberdine (“long, coarse outer garment”) (since 1520), from Spanish gabardina (perhaps influenced by gabán (“overcoat”) and tabardina (“coarse coat”)), from Middle French galverdine, itself probably from (Old or Mid… The correct English form is gabardine, spelled G-A-B-A-R-D-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A type of woolen cloth with a diagonal ribbed texture on one side.
  2. 2
    A similar fabric, made from cotton.
  3. 3
    A long cloak.
  4. 4
    A yellow robe that Jews in England were compelled to wear in the year 1189 as a mark of distinction.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how gabardine appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The merchant found gabardines with finer ribs sold better here.
  2. You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog, And spet upon my Jewish gabardine, And all for use of that which is mine own.

Etymology

Recorded since 1904, altering the earlier gaberdine (“long, coarse outer garment”) (since 1520), from Spanish gabardina (perhaps influenced by gabán (“overcoat”) and tabardina (“coarse coat”)), from Middle French galverdine, itself probably from (Old or Middle) High German wallevart (“pilgrimage”), in the sense of “pilgrim's cloak” (from wallen (“to ambulate”) + vart (“journey”)).

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "gabardine"?
"gabardine" is spelled G-A-B-A-R-D-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡæbəˌdiːn/.
What does "gabardine" mean?
As a noun, "gabardine" means: A type of woolen cloth with a diagonal ribbed texture on one side.
How do you pronounce "gabardine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gabardine" is /ˈɡæbəˌdiːn/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "gabardine"?
Recorded since 1904, altering the earlier gaberdine (“long, coarse outer garment”) (since 1520), from Spanish gabardina (perhaps influenced by gabán (“overcoat”) and tabardina (“coarse coat”)), from Middle French galverdine, itself probably from (... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list