Napless

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing a fabric or textile surface that has no raised fibers or pile, leaving it smooth and flat
2. Having no nap or fuzzy surface texture, as in cloth that has been worn down or manufactured without a raised finish
3. Lacking the soft raised fibers typically found on fabrics, resulting in a smooth flat appearance

Etymology: Napless describes fabric whose raised surface has worn away, leaving it flat and smooth. The "nap" it builds on is the soft, fuzzy layer of short fibres on cloth such as velvet, felt or fleece. The word is formed from that noun, which is a separate word from the "short period of sleep" sense of nap. The suffix carries the other half of the meaning. "-less" descends from Old English "lēas", meaning "free from" or "lacking", the same sense that survives in "careless" and "fearless". Joined to "nap", it means "without nap", and English has used the pattern freely to describe any material stripped of its surface.

Synonyms: smooth, pile-free

Antonyms: napped, fuzzy