flannel

[flan-l]

noun

1. a soft, slightly napped fabric of wool or wool and another fiber, used for trousers, jackets, shirts, etc.

2. a soft, warm, light fabric of cotton or cotton and another fiber, thickly napped on one side and used for sleepwear, undergarments, sheets, etc.

3. flannels,

   1. an outer garment, especially trousers, made of flannel.

   2. woolen undergarments.

4. British.

   1. a washcloth.

   2. Informal.,  nonsense; humbug; empty talk.

   3. Informal.,  flattery; insincere or overdone praise.

verb (used with object)

flanneled, flanneling , flannelled, flannelling .

1. to cover or clothe with flannel.

2. to rub with flannel.

flannel

/ ˈflænəl /

noun

1. a soft light woollen fabric with a slight nap, used for clothing

2. (plural) trousers or other garments made of flannel

3. See cotton flannel

4. US and Canadian equivalent: washcloth. a small piece of cloth used to wash the face and hands; face cloth

5. informal,  indirect or evasive talk; deceiving flattery

verb

1. to cover or wrap with flannel

2. to rub, clean, or polish with flannel

3. informal,  to talk evasively to; flatter in order to mislead

Other Word Forms

• flannelly adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of flannel¹

1300–50; Middle English flaunneol, perhaps dissimilated variant of flanyn sackcloth < Welsh; compare Welsh gwlanen woolen article, equivalent to gwlân wool (akin to Latin lāna ) + -en suffix denoting a single item (as a piece of a mass noun or singular of a collective plural)

Word History and Origins

Origin of flannel¹

C14: probably variant of flanen sackcloth, from Welsh gwlanen woollen fabric, from gwlân wool

Example Sentences

He was dressed in standard Mexican grandpa attire: long flannel shirt, blue hat, jeans and sneakers along with a salt-and-pepper mustache and a leather cellphone case hanging from his belt.

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Two benched federal workers—a man in a green flannel and baseball cap and a woman in a Disneyland hoodie—wandered in.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

It was “a tall dude with a flannel ... and blue jeans,” Ejae said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Armed with a handful of songs, the Pendletones — named for the then-popular flannel shirts — began to play at school dances and parties.

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Kayleigh's tried cocktails of different medications, putting her feet in hot water, a flannel at the back of the head, acupuncture, cupping - but they've had little effect.

Read more on BBC