Jersey (clothing)

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For other uses, see Jersey (disambiguation)

A jersey is an item of knitted clothing, traditionally in wool or cotton, with sleeves, worn as a pullover; this is to say, it does not open at the front, unlike a cardigan. It is usually close-fitting and machine knitted in contrast to a guernsey that is more often hand knit with a thicker yarn. The word is usually used interchangeably with sweater and is the name always officially used in the United Kingdom to refer to the item when worn as part of the uniform of military, police or other uniformed personnel.

The traditional Jersey, and traditional Guernsey, are dyed a navy blue colour, using a dye that does not require stripping the wool of its natural oil, rendering these sweaters surprisingly water resistant. The wool used in guernseys is often passed through oil in order to render it doubly water-resistant.

Alternatively, a jersey as used in sport is the name of a shirt worn by a member of a team, usually oversized, typically depicting the athlete's name and team number as well as the team's logotype or corporate sponsor. Cycling jerseys of specific colour or pattern represent certain statuses in cycling - such as the maillot jaune (yellow jersey) of the leader of the Tour de France, or the rainbow jersey. Cycling jerseys are usually made of synthetic microfiber material to aid in wicking sweat away from the skin to allow it to evaporate.

Jersey is also a soft, slightly elastic knit cloth made from wool, cotton or silk.

The name derives from Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, where the material was first produced.