Meanings
lisle1
plural lisles
- countableuncountableA type of strong cotton thread, or a cloth woven from such thread.
He wore a feather in his hat, doeskin breeches, lisle hose and an iridescent waistcoat.
1982, TC Boyle, Water Music, Penguin, published 2006, page 413 more examples
It is a matter to be regretted, that the brilliant finished lisle thread stocking, such as are made by the English, have been almost driven out by the cheap silk stocking.
1893, Good Housekeeping, May issue, p. 209[O]ne pair of ladies' grey hose with Lisle suspender tops and feet in their habitual position clamped by three erect wooden pegs […].
1922 February 2, James Joyce, “[Episode 17: Ithaca]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLC, part III [Nostos], page 623She herself dressed in dark dresses of heavy rayon crêpe, with grey Lisle stockings bound under the knee with two loops of knotted elastic.
1976, Angela Carter, “The Mother Lode”, in Shaking a Leg, Vintage, published 2013, page 11
Lisle2
plural Lisles · alternative Isle · alternative LIsle · alternative L'Isle · alternative l'Isle
- countableuncountableA surname from French.
- A place name:
- countableuncountableA commune in Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.
- countableuncountableA commune in Loir-et-Cher department, Centre-Val de Loire, France.
- countableuncountableA village in Lisle Township and Milton Township, DuPage County, Illinois, United States.
- countableuncountableA township in DuPage County, Illinois.
- countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Cass County, Missouri, United States.
- countableuncountableA town and village therein, in Broome County, New York, United States.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna strong tightly twisted cotton thread (usually made of long-staple cotton)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
lisle · noun
Named after Lisle, France (now Lille), where it was first produced.
Full word history & related roots →Lisle · proper noun, noun
- Normanl'Isle
- FrenchLisle
- EnglishLisle
From French Lisle and Norman l'Isle.
More words from French, Norman
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French Lisle
- LisleTranslations
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with lisle
Anagrams
Cite this entry
lisle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lisle
“lisle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lisle. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lisle,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lisle.
Source: lisle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.