spandex
noun
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Spandex is a fiber that has had an impact on fashion high and low, casual and formal, outer and under. It's not a trademark, as a number of the names of other fibers are, among them Dacron, Lycra, and Orlon. It's a generic term, coined in 1959 as an anagram of the word expands. Anagrammatic coinages are not common; the only other in our dictionaries that the average person is likely to be familiar with is sideburns. Sideburns is an anagram (and synonym) of burnsides, from Ambrose E. Burnside, a Union general in the American Civil War credited with originating the fashion (in the U.S., at least) also known as side-whiskers.
Examples of spandex in a Sentence
Nadja Sayej, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Maidenform Open Bust Body Shaper $68 $28 at Amazon
This bodysuit is made of soft nylon and spandex that doesn’t lose its shape — even after washing.
—Clara McMahon, People.com, 9 Oct. 2024
That’s trailed significantly by polyester (3 percent), silk (3 percent), wool (1 percent), Lycra and/or spandex (1 percent), and rayon (0 percent).
—Catherine Salfino, Sourcing Journal, 31 Oct. 2024
The polyester, rayon, and spandex materials give you enough breathability and stretch.
—Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 29 Oct. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near spandex
Cite this Entry
“Spandex.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spandex. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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spandex
noun
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