Meanings
plural terry nappies
- CommonwealthIrelandUKhistoricalA cloth nappy folded from a large piece of square or rectangular absorbent fabric which is held in place by a nappy pin or other fastener, especially one made from terry (coarse cotton); a flat nappy.
Special Purchase of Infants; good quality Terry Nappies; in a useful size
1940 November 14, “Blackler's Money-Saving Bargains”, in Liverpool Echo (Advertisement), Babies' Napkins, page 51 more example
Many people are put off by the idea of using pins. There are excellent ecological alternatives to using a terry nappy with plastic pants. One is a fitted cotton or wool cover which holds the nappy in place without pins.
1989, Karen Christensen, Home Ecology, British edition, HarperCollins Publishers, →ISBN, page 333Synonyms: terry diaper, terry, flat nappy, flat diaper
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA cloth nappy folded from a large piece of square or rectangular absorbent fabric which is held in place by a nappy pin or other fastener, especially one made from terry (coarse cotton); a flat nappy.
Origin
Named after the terry towelling fabric from which these flat nappies were most commonly made.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
terry nappy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terry%20nappy
“terry nappy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terry%20nappy. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “terry nappy,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terry%20nappy.
Source: terry nappy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.