A knitted shirt, often with a team’s colors or number, worn for sports. It can also mean a type of soft knitted fabric or, as a proper noun, one of the Channel Islands.
Named after Jersey, one of the Channel Islands between England and France, which was known for its knitted woolen goods. The island’s name became attached to the style of fabric and then to the garments made from it. Over time, “jersey” broadened to mean sports shirts in general.
Sports jerseys are basically high-tech descendants of old island knitwear. The word jumped from a tiny island’s export to global stadium culture. Every time fans “wear the jersey,” they’re wrapped in a bit of textile history they rarely notice.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.