chenille

[ shuh-neel ]

/ ʃəˈnil /

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noun

a velvety cord or yarn of silk or worsted, for embroidery, fringes, etc.

fabric made with a fringed silken thread used as the weft in combination with wool or cotton.

any fabric with a protruding pile, as in certain rayon bedspreads.

a deep-pile, durable, woolen carpeting with chenille weft: the most expensive power-loomed floor covering.

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Origin of chenille

1730–40; <French: velvety cord, literally, caterpillar <Latin canīcula, with etymological sense “little dog,” though attested only in senses “shrewish woman, dogfish, Sirius” (see canicular); for parallel use of “cat” in same sense, see caterpillar

Words nearby chenille

Cheney, Chengchow, Chengde, Chengdu, chenier, chenille, chenille plant, Chenin Blanc, Chennai, Chennault, chenopod

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use chenille in a sentence

Run a narrow velvet through the holes of the third row and affix wider velvet ends, or chenille tassels to each extremity.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley
Her prize was a gay little chenille imp, which she stuck in her hair with great glee.
Marjorie's Busy Days|Carolyn Wells
On the chenille-covered table in the middle of the room stood a vase with artificial flowers.
The Mountebank|William J. Locke
There is this against chenille, that its texture is not sympathetic to the touch, and that there is a stuffy look about it always.
Art in Needlework|Lewis F. Day

The holiday hat is the same, save for a roll of brightly and many tinted chenille.
Legends & Romances of Brittany|Lewis Spence

British Dictionary definitions for chenille

chenille

/ (ʃəˈniːl) /

noun

a thick soft tufty silk or worsted velvet cord or yarn used in embroidery and for trimmings, etc

a fabric of such yarn

a rich and hard-wearing carpet of such fabric

Word Origin for chenille

C18: from French, literally: hairy caterpillar, from Latin canicula, diminutive of canis dog

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012