Forms: α. 6 ieen, iene, ge(a)ne, ieane, ieyne, ienne, 7 ieine, 7– jean; β. 7– jane. [app. the same as ME. Gene, Jene, Jeyne, Jayne, Jane, in OF. Janne(s, mod.F. Gênes, med.L. Janua, Genoa, a city of Italy; cf. JANE, a coin of Genoa, and GEANE.]

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  † 1.  = GEANE, Genoa; attrib. = GENOESE. Obs.

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1495.  Naval Acc. Hen. VII. (1896), 262. Cables … of Jeane makyng.

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c. 1524.  Churchw. Acc. St. Mary Hill, London (Nichols, 1797), 127. A carpet of Jeen makyng.

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1607.  Markham, Caval., II. 59. Some horsmen vse that bytt, which wee call the Bastonet or Ieine bytt, which is made with … great rough rings, made high like wheeles.

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  2.  A twilled cotton cloth; a kind of fustian. Orig. jene (ge(a)ne, geanes) fustian, shortened to jeanes, jean, etc.

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  The form Jeans is used in U.S.

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  α.  1567.  in Swayne, Sarum Church-w. Acc. (1896), 113. ij yerdes of Jene fustyan.

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1575.  Richmond. Wills (Surtees), 233. vij. yeards of geanes fustion … xvj yeardes of geane fustion. Ibid. (1577), 269. ij yardes of whitt geanes.

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1589.  in H. Hall, Soc. in Eliz. Age (1886), 210. Gene fustian.

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1589.  Acc.-Bk. W. Wray, in Antiquary, XXXII. 78/2. White Jennes, iiis. vjd.

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1622.  Househ. Bks. Ld. W. Howard (Beck, Draper’s Dict.), A quarter of jean for my Ladie’s stockins, 3d.

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1766.  W. Gordon, Gen. Counting-ho., 427. 2 pieces 1/2 yard wide white jean.

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1802.  Brookes’ Gazetteer (ed. 12), s.v. Leigh, Considerable manufactures, particularly of fine jeans.

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1862.  in Bryant & Gay, Hist. U. S. (1880), IV. 531. A million yards of jeans.

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c. 1885.  Weldon’s Pract. Needlewk., IV. 3/1. Executed … on a ground of white satin jean.

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  β.  1612.  Two Noble K., III. v. You most coarse freeze capacities, Ye jaue judgments [Dyce reads ‘jane’].

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1662.  Stat. Ireland (1765), II. 407. Fustians called janes.

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1835.  Blackw. Mag., XXXVIII. 164. A new suit of olive jane.

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  b.  pl. Garments of this material.

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1879.  Birmingham Weekly Post, 26 April, 2/7. The cook, in his spotless ‘jeans,’ made the usual enquiry.

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  c.  attrib. and Comb. Made of jean, as jean cap, coat, trousers, etc. Also jean-clad, -jacketed adjs.

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1801.  T. S. Surr, Splendid Misery, II. 141. Habited in … a jean grey frock.

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1858.  Lytton, What will He do? I. i. ‘You are a keen observer,’ said he of the jean cap.

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1885.  ‘C. E. Craddock’ (Miss Murfree), in Harper’s Mag., Dec., 132/1. The jeans-clad mountaineers. Ibid., 132/2. A leather belt girded his brown jeans coat.

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