velvet

The word “velvet” means a closely woven fabric with a thick, short, soft pile on one side, traditionally made of silk but now often cotton or synthetic fibre. In plain terms, a soft, plush fabric with a short furry pile, or an adjective for anything that feels or sounds that smooth and soft.

“Velvet” is pronounced VEHL-viht (/ˈvɛlvɪt/ in IPA).

Here is “velvet” used in a sentence: “She wore a deep red velvet dress to the gala.”

Depending on how it is used, “velvet” can be a noun, a verb and an adjective.

The word “velvet” comes from Latin. From Middle English velvet, from Old Occitan veluet, ultimately from Latin villus ("shaggy hair, tuft"). Related to French velours.

“Velvet” is an uncommon word in modern English.

“Velvet” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a closely woven fabric with a thick, short, soft pile on one side, traditionally made of silk but now often cotton or synthetic fibre.

Velvet is traditionally woven from silk (though now often cotton or synthetic fibre) and has a dense, short pile that gives it a smooth, luxurious feel. Velour is typically knitted rather than woven, which makes it stretchier and generally less expensive, though it has a similar soft, plush surface.

To velvet meat means to coat it in a starch-and-oil mixture before stir-frying, a technique used to keep the meat tender and smooth in texture, common in Chinese cooking.

Deer velvet is the soft, fuzzy layer of skin and fur that covers a deer's antlers while they are growing. It is shed once the antlers finish developing.