jeans

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A pair of trousers made from denim cotton.

   Traditionally most jeans are dyed dark blue.

2. 2
   noun

   plural of jean

3. 3
   name

   A surname originating as a patronymic derived from a medieval variant of John.

Etymology

From Gene(s) (also spelled Jean(s)), an obsolete English name for the Italian city of Genoa. Compare French Gênes. In the context of clothing, the term originally denoted a kind of coarse cotton (known more fully as Gene(s) fustian) that was associated with Genoa. It began to be used for trousers made of such cloth in the 19th century. At this point, the final -s was reanalysed as a plural ending.