spijkerbroek

Dutch

Etymology

Compound of spijker (“nail (metal fastener)”) +‎ broek (“trousers, pants”). Named after the use of rivets in jeans, which were thought to resemble the heads of nails. Cf. Afrikaans klinknaelbroek (literally “rivet trousers”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈspɛi̯kərˌbruk/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: spij‧ker‧broek

Noun

spijkerbroek f (plural spijkerbroeken, diminutive spijkerbroekje n)

  1. (Netherlands) a pair of jeans
    De heler verkocht de gestolen spijkerbroeken op de markt bij zee, waar ze zeer in de smaak vielen.
    The fence sold the stolen jeans at the market near the sea, where they appealed to many people's tastes.

Usage notes

Not used in Flanders, where the loanword jeans is used instead.

Synonyms

Derived terms

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