Washfastness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The characteristic of a textile that ensures its color remains stable despite washing processes
2. The property of a fabric to retain its color durability when subjected to laundering procedures
3. The ability of a fabric to maintain its original color and avoid fading when laundered

Etymology: "Washfastness" is a plain technical compound: it joins "washfast," meaning a dye or fabric that keeps its colour through laundering, with the suffix "-ness," which turns an adjective into a noun for a quality or state. Together they name the measurable property itself, the degree to which a textile resists fading or running when washed. The first part is the more telling of the two. "Washfast" builds on "fast" in the old textile sense of "fixed" or "not liable to change," the same sense behind "colourfast" and "lightfast." Dyers and manufacturers used these compounds to describe colours that were fixed firmly enough to survive treatment, so the word carries the idea of a dye being held in place.