prunella

[ proo-nel-uh ]

/ pruˈnɛl ə /

noun

a strong, lightweight worsted constructed in a twill weave, used in the manufacture of women's and children's apparel.

a smooth-faced fabric made of mixed fibers or wool, formerly used in the manufacture of women's dresses and of robes for clerics, scholars, and lawyers.

Nearby words

prudish, prudishly, pruinose, prune, prune-belly syndrome, prunella, prunelle, prunello, pruning, pruning hook, pruning shears

Also prunelle, pru·nel·lo

[proo-nel-oh] /pruˈnɛl oʊ/.

Origin of prunella

1650–60; perhaps special use of prunelle, from the dark color of the cloth

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

Examples from the Web for prunella

Does the prunella belong to the family of Labiat, like the bugle?
Everyday Objects|W. H. Davenport Adams
The prunella is remarkable for the long hairs which garnish the calyx, and, principally, the edges of the bracts.
Everyday Objects|W. H. Davenport Adams
And hark you, sir, never care three straws for praise or blame—leather and prunella!
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 64, No.394, August, 1848|Various
Prunella, I noticed, was of a much deeper purple there than at home.
Fresh Fields|John Burroughs

A little aristocrat she was, from the poise of her golden head to the tip of her prunella boots.
That Old-Time Child, Roberta|Sophie Fox Sea

British Dictionary definitions for prunella (1 of 2)

prunella

prunelle (pruːˈnɛl) or prunello (pruːˈnɛləʊ)

/ (pruːˈnɛlə) /

noun

a strong fabric, esp a twill-weave worsted, used for gowns and the uppers of some shoes

Word Origin for prunella

C17: perhaps from prunelle, with reference to the colour of the cloth

British Dictionary definitions for prunella (2 of 2)

prunella

/ (pruːˈnɛlə) /

noun

See selfheal

Word Origin for prunella

New Latin, altered from brunella, from German Braüne quinsy, which it was thought to cure

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 prunella

prunella

stout textile used for men's robes and gowns, 1650s, from French prunelle, noun use of adjective meaning "plum-colored," from prunelle, diminutive of prune "plum" (see prune (n.)).