flannel
[ flan-l ]
/ ˈflæn l /
noun
a soft, slightly napped fabric of wool or wool and another fiber, used for trousers, jackets, shirts, etc.
a soft, warm, light fabric of cotton or cotton and another fiber, thickly napped on one side and used for sleepwear, undergarments, sheets, etc.
flannels,
- an outer garment, especially trousers, made of flannel.
- woolen undergarments.
British.
- a washcloth.
- Informal. nonsense; humbug; empty talk.
- Informal. flattery; insincere or overdone praise.
verb (used with object), flan·neled, flan·nel·ing or (especially British), flan·nelled, flan·nel·ling.
to cover or clothe with flannel.
to rub with flannel.
Origin of flannel
1300–50; Middle English
flaunneol, perhaps dissimilated variant of
flanyn sackcloth < Welsh; compare Welsh
gwlanen woolen article, equivalent to
gwlân
wool (akin to Latin
lāna) +
-en suffix denoting a single item (as a piece of a mass noun or singular of a collective plural)
Words nearby flannel
flank,
flank position,
flank speed,
flanken,
flanker,
flannel,
flannel cake,
flannel flower,
flannel-leaf,
flannelboard,
flannelet
Example sentences from the Web for flannel
British Dictionary definitions for flannel
flannel
/ (ˈflænəl) /
noun
verb -nels, -nelling or -nelled or US -nels, -neling or -neled (tr)
Derived forms of flannel
flannelly, adjectiveWord Origin for flannel
C14: probably variant of
flanen sackcloth, from Welsh
gwlanen woollen fabric, from
gwlân wool