the.com/selvedge

means The tightly woven, self-finished edge of a fabric that prevents it from unraveling, originally created by the structure of narrow traditional looms.

from Simply 'self' + 'edge' — a straightforward compound from the 16th century describing cloth that finishes its own border using the weft threads looping back at the fabric's margin, needing no hem. Old shuttle looms wove fabric in narrow bands with this tight, interlocked edge woven right in; when cheaper, wider power looms took over in the 20th century, they cut fabric edges that had to be finished separately, leaving true selvedge as a mark of old-style, small-batch production — which is exactly how it became denim's badge of expensive authenticity.