What does velveteen mean?
Velveteen is a fabric with a short, soft pile that gives it the appearance and texture of velvet. Unlike traditional velvet, which is commonly made from silk or synthetic fibers, velveteen is usually woven from cotton, making it an economical and practical way to achieve a plush surface. It has been used for clothing, jackets, dresses, curtains, upholstery, theatrical costumes, and other decorative objects. In ordinary conversation, “velveteen” may evoke vintage clothing, luxurious interiors, or an old-fashioned sense of elegance, while remaining a precise and useful name for a particular textile. The word is also occasionally used more broadly for a velvet-like material, though cotton velveteen is its standard historical and commercial meaning. Distinguishing it from velvet is useful when describing fabrics, costume, or furnishings because the two differ in pile depth, fiber, weight, and usual application.
nounA dense fabric with a short, soft pile, usually made of cotton and resembling velvet. It is commonly used for clothing, upholstery, curtains, and other decorative items.
- A soft fabric with a short pile, usually made of cotton and resembling velvet.
"The chair was upholstered in deep blue velveteen."
"She wore a coat trimmed with green velveteen."
"Velveteen curtains softened the stark room."
The plural is used for separate items or types of velveteen.
"The collection included velveteens in several rich colors."
Velveteen brought the look and feel of velvet to ordinary cotton fabrics, turning an elegant textile into an accessible everyday luxury.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does velveteen come from?
Velveteen was formed in the early nineteenth century from velvet with the diminutive-like suffix -een. The English word velvet and the closely related velour come through French from the same broader Romance vocabulary for shaggy or hairy cloth. Velvety shares that root as well, though it developed as an independent English derivative of velvet.
How velveteen is actually used
The word is standard in British and American English. It can sound somewhat old-fashioned or nostalgic, especially when describing clothing, but it remains a precise textile term. As a mass noun, velveteen usually takes no article when functioning as a material.
Easily confused with velveteen
Velvet generally has a deeper, denser pile and is traditionally made from silk or synthetic fibers, whereas velveteen is usually a cotton fabric with a shorter pile.