ðɪs fˈæbɹɪk wʌz ˌɪntɹədˈuːst ɪnðɪ ˈɜːli nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti z æz ɐn ɪmpˈoːɹt fɹʌmðə juːnˈaɪɾᵻd kˈɪŋdəm, wˌɛɹ ɪt wʌz kˈɔːld pˈɑːplɪn, bˌʌt ɪt wʌz ˌɑːɹbɪtɹˈɛɹᵻli ɹᵻnˈeɪmd "bɹˈɔːdklɔθ" æz ɪt wʌz θˈɔːt ðˈæt "pˈɑːplɪn" hæd kɑːnətˈeɪʃənz ʌv hˈɛvinəs.
This fabric was introduced in the early 1920s as an import from the United Kingdom, where it was called poplin, but it was arbitrarily renamed "broadcloth" as it was thought that "poplin" had connotations of heaviness.