chenille
Americannoun
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a velvety cord or yarn of silk or worsted, for embroidery, fringes, etc.
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fabric made with a fringed silken thread used as the weft in combination with wool or cotton.
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any fabric with a protruding pile, as in certain rayon bedspreads.
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a deep-pile, durable, woolen carpeting with chenille weft: the most expensive power-loomed floor covering.
noun
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a thick soft tufty silk or worsted velvet cord or yarn used in embroidery and for trimmings, etc
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a fabric of such yarn
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a rich and hard-wearing carpet of such fabric
Etymology
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
Explanation
Chenille is a soft, tufted type of material. If fuzziness is what you want in a sweater, go for chenille (especially if you can't afford cashmere). Chenille is any sort of yarn that has long pile — that is, stringy ends that are rooted in the core. It could help you remember what chenille is if you know it’s a French word originally meaning “hairy caterpillar,” which is something it resembles. Chenille is used in making many products, including clothes and carpets. Chenille is also often used to make decorative trim on furniture or curtains.
Vocabulary lists containing chenille
Speak
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Little Fires Everywhere
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The Queen's Gambit
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Other people suggested washing the cushion covers in the washing machine as an easier and more effective solution, but my chenille couch fabric isn't machine-washable.
From Salon • Mar. 26, 2023
After staging plays in the family garage, where she used blue chenille bedspreads as curtains, Ms. Welch enrolled in classes at a local junior theater.
From Washington Post • Feb. 15, 2023
The tasks weren’t as elaborate as on Japan’s “Old Enough!” show, but the corner store owner did get to know my little sister and me well enough to knit us pink chenille scarves one Christmas.
From New York Times • May 7, 2022
The polyester rug cover has a polyurethane waterproof barrier sandwiched between the top surface, made from 100% woven polyester chenille, and the bottom surface, made of 100% polyester knit.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2020
“Jackie,” she growled when I opened the door and found her in her pink chenille bathrobe.
From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
