---
title: "Tweed"
description: "Tweed is a rough-surfaced woollen fabric, usually twill, woven from yarns that are often mixed in colour."
type: Glossary
url: https://teazle.art/glossary/tweed
published: 2026-10-14
updated: 2026-10-14
author: "The Teazle editors"
---

# Tweed

*Tweed is a rough-surfaced woollen fabric, usually twill, woven from yarns that are often mixed in colour.*

Tweed is a sturdy woollen cloth, typically in a [twill](https://teazle.art/glossary/twill.md) or herringbone weave, made from yarns blended from several colours so the cloth looks flecked. It was the cloth of the country and of sport in Britain before it became a fashion staple.

## What is Harris Tweed?

A tweed handwoven by islanders in their homes in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, protected by its own legal definition and orb trademark. Other regional tweeds, such as Donegal from Ireland, have their own characteristic flecks.


## Sources

1. [Tweed (AAT 300132867)](http://vocab.getty.edu/page/aat/300132867). Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus
2. [Tweed (Q40601)](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q40601). Wikidata

Canonical: https://teazle.art/glossary/tweed