Sweater

For other uses, seeSweater (disambiguation).

Asweater(North American English) orpullover,also called ajerseyorjumper(British EnglishandAustralian English),is a piece of clothing, typically with long sleeves, made of knitted or crocheted material that covers the upper part of the body. When sleeveless, the garment is often called aslipover,tank top,orsweater vest.

One from the Graham Leggate collection, a Norwegian selburose design

Sweaters are worn by adults and children, often over ashirt,blouse,T-shirt,or another top, but sometimes next to the skin. Sweaters were traditionally made fromwoolbut can now be made ofcotton,synthetic fibers,or any combination of these. There are also seasonal sweaters, which around Christmas are often called "ugly sweaters".

Etymology

According to Britishdictionaries,"sweater" is used in British English in the same sense as in American English but "jumper" is commonly used instead (though some say that "sweater" is used for heavier ones worn for warmth).The Oxford English Dictionary states that in British usage, sweaters are always pulled over the head and jumpers are not necessarily,whereas most or all other British dictionaries disagree and say that sweaters are not necessarily pullovers or even say that jumpers are always pullovers, i.e. never open in front.

The Oxford English Dictionary gives "sweater" as appearing in 1882 and gives its definition as "A woolen vest or jersey worn in rowing or other athletic exercises, originally... to reduce one's weight; now commonly put on also before or after exercise to prevent taking cold. Hence a similar garment for general informal wear; a jumper or pullover"

According to most British dictionaries, British usage agrees with what American dictionaries describe as American English usage, according to which a sweater is either a pullover or acardigan(which opens at the front). Almost all British dictionaries include cardigans as a type of sweater but at least one includes cardigans as a type of jumper (i.e. most British dictionaries consider "sweater" – and at least one considers "jumper" – to be ahypernymfor both pullovers and cardigans).Colloquial and informal usage common in Britain is using the term “cardie” for a cardigan which usually refers to a button-front sweater.

Types and design

"Hot dog" Sweater

Turtleneck sweater

The term "sweater" is a catch-all for a variety of knit garments. Although the term often refers to a pullover, it can also refer to acardigan,a garment that opens and fastens down the front. Within either group, there is a great variety of designs. Variousnecklinesare found, although the V-neck, turtleneck, and crew neck are the most popular. The hemline is typically at hip height or slightly longer, just overlapping the waist of one's pants or skirt, but can vary significantly. It can range from just below the bust in women's garments to mid-thigh in either sex or even longer in a knitted variation of theponchoshirtdress.Thesleevelength is also variable, ranging from full-length or three-quarters to short-sleeved, cap sleeves or sleeveless. The frontseamor opening of a cardigan allows for further different styles, such as asurpliceor abolero jacket.All hems may have various types of borders, such aspicots,ribbing,and frills.

Knitted fabricsare generally somewhatelasticand have a softer hand (feel or drape) thanwoven fabric.Sweaters that are more tightly fitted or have a soft drape may conform well to the body without requiringtailoringnecessary in a woven garment such as darts, flares, and gores. Even when such shaping is used, it can be knit into the fabric itself, without requiring seams.

Another type is asweater vest.

Nomenclature

A cardigan

A pullover from Iceland (lopapeysa)

A jumper

A sweater with an open front fastened bybuttonsor azipperis generally called acardigan,but thenomenclaturefor other styles in differentdialectscan be quite confusing. InBritish English,a sweater may also be called a pullover, jumper, or jersey. In the United States, however, "jumper"refers to a style of women's sleeveless dress, worn over a blouse or shirt, and" jersey "refers to a knit shirt, especially if part of an athletic uniform. If sleeveless, such a garment may be called a" slipover "or" tank top "in British English, while" tank top "inUS Englishrefers to asleeveless shirt or undershirt.

In the U.S. a sleeveless sweater may also be called asweater vest,especially if it has a V-neck and somewhat formal appearance resembling a formal vest, a garment known as awaistcoatin the UK. In British English, "vest" refers to an undershirt. InSouth African English,a knitted sweater is always called a jersey, whilesweater,when used, refers to asweatshirt.In the sport ofice hockey,the top of a hockey player's uniform had traditionally been a sweater; and even though modern hockey uniform tops are more commonly ajerseythey are typically referred to as a "hockey sweater," regardless of the style, but frequently, in the U.S. it is called a hockey "jersey".

Article of Clothing	US	UK
Knitted garment covering torso and arms that is closed at the front	sweater, pullover	sweater, pullover, jumper
Knitted garment covering torso and arms that is open at the front	sweater, cardigan	sweater, cardigan, jumper
Women's sleeveless dress	jumper	pinafore
Cotton (or jersey) garment covering torso and arms that is closed at the front	sweatshirt	jersey
Athletic shirt	jersey	jersey, kit (refers to full sports uniform)
Sleeveless knit garment	sweater vest, slipover	slipover, tank top
Sleeveless undershirt	tank top	vest, singlet
Sleeveless formal garment	vest	waistcoat

See also:

• List of American words not widely used in the United Kingdom
• List of British words not widely used in the United States
• List of words having different meanings in American and British English: A–L
• List of words having different meanings in American and British English: M–Z

Customary wear

Seaman's jumper, woolen, hand-knitted

Thin sweaters may be worn tucked into the waistband oftrousers;but otherwise, men's sweaters are worn untucked. Nonetheless, some individuals, including some television and film actors, have been known for wearing tucked-in sweaters.

Sweaters are a versatile item of clothing and can be worn on top of almost any outfit. Sports sweaters are often worn on tops of sports kit while traveling to or from a sports ground. Sweaters can be worn with adress shirtunderneath (and optionally atie), which has the advantage of allowing the wearer to have the option of removing the sweater when it is uncomfortably warm and still looking presentable in many situations. Layering and the ease with which it allows for temperature regulation is a major benefit of the sweater as an article of clothing. Various methods have evolved for conveniently carrying a sweater, once removed. The three most common approaches are: around the waist (either loin cloth or knotted in front style) and over the shoulder.

In the late 20th century, the sweater increasingly came to be worn as an alternative to a shirt when finer materials made them more comfortable next to the skin.

Some people enjoy wearingChristmas-related sweatersaround Christmas time to get into the festive spirit. Some women's sweaters are meant to be worn belted; a belt or drawstring is sometimes knitted into the sweater itself. Leggings are commonly worn with long sweaters or sweater dresses.

Care

Sweaters are often maintained by washing or dry cleaning and the use of alint rollerorpillrazor. But airing (and rinsing in pure water if necessary) is considered better than washing with soap or another detergent, especially when not all of the natural oil (lanolin) has been removed from the wool. The use of detergent is in fact detrimental because it removes the lanolin, which helps the wool to repel and shed dirt as well as water. In fact, sweaters made from unscoured wool, such as some IrishAran jumpers,remain wearable even when wet.

Ice hockey

Theuniformsthat present-dayice hockeyplayers wear are referred to as "sweaters". This is because original uniforms were simply sweaters with the team's crest stitched on the front. However, as technology changed, so did the uniforms as actual sweaters absorbed too much moisture and became weighed down and cumbersome throughout the course of a game.

See also

• Baja jacket
• Jacket
• Sweater curse
• Sweater design
• Sweatshirt
• Twinset