Fabrics

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Materials consisting of interwoven threads or fibers for applications like apparel or home furnishings
2. Substances formed by the intertwining of fibers or threads, utilized across industries such as clothing manufacturing and upholstery
3. Materials created by the weaving or knitting of fibers into a cohesive structure used for garments or interiors

Etymology: "Fabrics" is simply the plural of "fabric," so the real story belongs to the singular. That word began as a Latin term for a workshop: "fabrica" meant a place where things were made, and from there came the sense of the craft or product itself. The Latin root "faber" meant artisan or workman, which is also the source of "forge," the word for a smith's hearth. The two English words are doublets, meaning they descend from the same Latin ancestor by different routes. The path into English ran through French. Old French "fabrique" carried the Latin idea of construction and structure, and English borrowed it with a sense of something built or put together. Over time the meaning narrowed from the act of building toward the woven or knitted cloth people wear and furnish their homes with, which is the sense "fabrics" now carries in the plural.

Synonyms: materials, textiles, cloths, fibers, weaves