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.

Nearby words

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for chenille

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
She barely gave herself time to brush her daughter-in-law's cheek with the chenille dots of her veil and mutter "How d'ye do?"
Shadows of Flames|Amelie Rives
They are, however, by far the best embroideresses in chenille,—silk and gold.
The Art of Needle-work, from the Earliest Ages, 3rd ed.|Elizabeth Stone
Came in two young ladies in hoops, with pork-pie hats and hair done up in bags of chenille.
Despair's Last Journey|David Christie Murray

The modern French name for the caterpillar is chenille, a derivative of chien, dog.
The Romance of Words (4th ed.)|Ernest Weekley

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

Word Origin and History for chenille

chenille

"velvety cord," 1738, from French chenille, properly "caterpillar," literally "little dog" (13c.), from Latin canicula "a dog" (also "a violent woman; the star Sirius; the worst throw in dice"), diminutive of canis "dog" (see canine (n.)). So called for its furry look. Cf. caterpillar.