prunella

[ proo-nel-uh ]

/ pruˈnɛl ə /

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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.

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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

Words nearby prunella

Prud'hon, prudish, pruinose, prune, prune-belly syndrome, prunella, prunelle, pruning hook, pruning shears, prunt, prurient

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use prunella in a sentence

And hark you, sir, never care three straws for praise or blame,—leather and prunella!
The Caxtons, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
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
Higher, higher yet flames the Fire-Sea; crackling with new dislocated timber; hissing with leather and prunella.
The French Revolution|Thomas Carlyle
One day she called Prunella to her, and said: 'Take this basket, go to the well, and bring it back to me filled with water.
The Grey Fairy Book|Various

Prunella did it quite innocently, not knowing that she was doing wrong in taking the fruit that hung close to the roadside.
The Grey Fairy Book|Various

British Dictionary definitions for prunella (1 of 2)

prunella¹

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)

prunella²

/ (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