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,
  1. an outer garment, especially trousers, made of flannel.
  2. woolen undergarments.
British.
  1. a washcloth.
  2. Informal. nonsense; humbug; empty talk.
  3. 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)

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, adjective

Word Origin for flannel

C14: probably variant of flanen sackcloth, from Welsh gwlanen woollen fabric, from gwlân wool