What does duvetine mean?
Duvetine is a noun naming a soft, thick cloth with a long, downy nap, traditionally woven from wool or from a blend of wool and cotton. Because the raised nap traps air close to the body, duvetine is prized for warmth, and it has been used above all for coats, overcoats, and military-style outerwear, especially in the mid twentieth century. The word comes from French, ultimately related to 'duvet', meaning down or the fine under-feathers of birds — a fitting origin given the fabric's plush, feather-like surface. Duvetine is not an everyday word; it belongs mostly to the vocabulary of tailors, fashion writers, and vintage-clothing dealers describing garments and their materials. For readers, it is useful chiefly as a precise term for this distinctive warm coating fabric.
nounA soft, thick fabric with a long napped surface, typically made of wool or a wool-and-cotton blend, used chiefly for coats and outerwear.
- A thick, soft napped fabric of wool or wool blended with cotton, used for coats and other outerwear.
"She wrapped herself in a coat of warm grey duvetine against the winter wind."
"The tailor recommended duvetine for the overcoat because it holds warmth without much weight."
"Vintage military-style jackets in olive duvetine were displayed in the shop window."
Usually uncountable when referring to the fabric; a plural form exists only when referring to individual garments or bolts of the cloth, which is rare.
"The mill shipped several duvetines in different weights that season."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of duvetine
Duvetine comes from French, formed on 'duvet', meaning the soft down feathers of birds, which traces back through Old French to Latin 'plumāticus'/'adventus'-related forms — more securely, it derives from Old French 'dunet'/'duvet' connected to Latin 'pluma'. The English borrowing names the fabric by analogy with its downy texture. It entered English textile usage in the nineteenth century as trade terminology for napped coating cloths.
How duvetine is actually used
Duvetine is a textile-trade term and appears mainly in descriptions of clothing and fabrics rather than everyday speech. It is somewhat old-fashioned, associated chiefly with mid-twentieth-century coats and uniforms.
Easily confused with duvetine
A duvet is a soft quilted bed covering, whereas duvetine is the name of a napped coating fabric.
Velveteen is a cotton fabric imitating velvet, while duvetine is a woollen (or wool-blend) cloth with a long nap used mainly for coats.