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filature

American  
[fil-uh-cher, -choor] / ˈfɪl ə tʃər, -ˌtʃʊər /

noun

  1. the act of forming into threads.

  2. a reel for drawing off silk from cocoons.

  3. the reeling of silk from cocoons.

  4. an establishment for reeling silk.


filature British  
/ ˈfɪlətʃə /

noun

  1. the act or process of spinning silk, etc, into threads

  2. the reel used for this

  3. a place where such spinning or reeling is done

"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

Etymology

Origin of filature

1750–60; < French < Medieval Latin fīlātūra the spinning art, equivalent to fīlāt ( us ) spun (past participle of fīlāre; see filament) + -ūra -ure


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.

See Examples For:

The boys exchanged a smile and passed on into the filature, as the factory where the reeling was done was called.

From The Story of Silk by Hattie Longstreet Price

But this branch of industry and commerce was fast waning before the increasing culture of more sure and lucrative products, and only one hundred and thirty-seven different persons brought cocoons to the filature this year.

From Biographical Memorials of James Oglethorpe by Thaddeus Mason Harris

The cocoons delivered at the filature in 1760, weighed seven thousand nine hundred and eighty-three pounds, and there were spun eight hundred and thirty-nine pounds.

From Biographical Memorials of James Oglethorpe by Thaddeus Mason Harris

But the percentage in a modernly equipped filature is very small.

From The Story of Silk by Hattie Longstreet Price

We have described the processes by which cocoons are ordinarily cooked and brushed, these being the first processes of the filature.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 620, November 19,1887 by Various

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