Where does the word “Fearnought” come from and What does Fearnought mean?

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Karen Hill

You may run across the word “fearnought” in your reading of tales of the sea especially.

That is, it is the name of a heavy woolen cloth, or the outer clothing made from it, that is specially adapted for use by sailors aboard ship in inclement weather.

Those wearing it “fear nought” from the elements.

Sometimes the cloth is known as fearnought and the garments made from it are dreadnoughts, but the terms are often used interchangeably.

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