chenille

/ʃəˈnil/

Other forms: chenilles

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.

Definitions of chenille

1. noun

   a soft tufted cord used in embroidery
   synonyms: chenille cord

   type of:

   cord

   a line made of twisted fibers or threads
2. noun

   a heavy fabric woven with from soft tufted cord or yarn; used in rugs and bedspreads
   type of:

   cloth, fabric, material, textile

   artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers