selvage
/ˈsɛlvɪd͡ʒ/noun, verb
selvage is spelled S-E-L-V-A-G-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 21 million words in written English, the 139,999th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, selvage means “The edge of a woven fabric, where the weft (side-to-side) threads run around the warp (top to bottom) threads, creating a finished edge” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of selvage is selvages.
How many letters and syllables are in selvage?
| Letters | 7: S-E-L-V-A-G-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 21 million words; the 139,999th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is selvage?
Selvage appears about once in every 21 million words in written English, the 139,999th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce selvage?
- /ˈsɛlvɪd͡ʒ/
Selvage has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-selvage.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of selvage
- selvages plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- selvedge
- selvaging participle, present
- selvaged participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does selvage mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The edge of a woven fabric, where the weft (side-to-side) threads run around the warp (top to bottom) threads, creating a finished edge.
- 2
Any edge of fabric finished so as to prevent raveling.
- 3
The excess area of any printed or perforated sheet, such as the border on a sheet of postage stamps or the wide margins of an engraving.
- 4
A distinct border of a mass of igneous rock. It is usually fine-grained or glassy due to rapid cooling.
- 5
Clay-like material found along and around a geological fault.
- 6
The edge plate of a lock, through which the bolt passes
- 7
That part of a lode adjacent to the walls on either side.
verb
- 1
To give a selvage to (fabric).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Selvage in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense finished edge of a woven fabric parallel with warp:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does selvage come from?
From early modern Dutch selfegghe (Modern Dutch zelfkant (“selvage”)), equivalent to self + edge.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).