chenille

[ shuh-neel ]
/ ʃəˈnil /

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. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for chenille

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