Where does Drill come from?

Drill comes from Germany, Western Europe, first documented in the 1700s.

Plate No. 051fabric

First documented: 1700s
Origin: Western Europe, Germany
Fiber: cotton
Weave: stout 3/1 twill
Family: twills

Plate No. 051 · fabric

Drill

Drill is a stout, hard-wearing cotton twill, heavier than shirting and lighter than canvas, woven with a clear steep diagonal. Its name records its construction: the German Drillich and Latin trilix both mean three threads, the warp-dominant interlacing that gives the cloth its density. Undyed drill clothed empires in the tropics, dyed khaki it became the British military standard, and in the workwear of the twentieth century it survives in everything from chef whites to safari jackets.

Illustration: a colonial outfitters shop around 1900, pith helmets and folded khaki cloth on dark shelves, a ceiling fan, a brass-edged counter — A colonial outfitters shop around 1900, pith helmets and folded khaki cloth on dark shelves, a ceiling fan, a brass-edged counter.

Named for

From the German Drillich, a three-thread cloth, from the Latin trilix: the same three-threaded root that gives twill its structure.

Common questions

What is Drill made of?: Drill is a stout, hard-wearing cotton twill, heavier than shirting and lighter than canvas, woven with a clear steep diagonal.
Where does Drill come from?: Drill comes from Germany, Western Europe, first documented in the 1700s.
What is Drill named after?: From the German Drillich, a three-thread cloth, from the Latin trilix: the same three-threaded root that gives twill its structure.