textile, a. and n.
(ˈtɛkstɪl, -aɪl)
[ad. L. textil-is woven, textile (sc. opus) woven fabric, f. text-, ppl. stem of tex-ĕre to weave. So F. textile.]
A. adj.
1. a. That has been or may be woven. Also, of or pertaining to a man-made fibre or filament, not necessarily woven.
| 1656 Blount Glossogr., Textile,..that is weaved or wounden, embroidered. 1755 Johnson, Textile,..woven; capable of being woven. 1852 Conybeare & Howson St. Paul (1862) II. xx. 240 The wine and the textile fabrics of Cos. 1868 Rogers Pol. Econ. viii. (1876) 74 Cotton and wool and other textile materials..from all quarters. 1910 Mitchell & Prideaux Fibres used in Textile & Allied Industries i. 8 Textile papers. (a) Spinning fibres in raw state... (b) Cotton or flax fibre previously spun. 1931 K. P. Hess Textile Fibers & their Use v. 232 The fourth method of dissolving cellulose and forming it into fine filaments was worked out... Textile fibres were not developed to any great extent by this method until the close of the World War. 1961 Wall St. Jrnl. 23 Jan. 2/3 DuPont Co. announced it will close its textile rayon operation..by August. 1972 Daily Tel. 20 Nov. 11/4 One single step is..required to convert the chemical raw material of the synthetic fibres into a finished textile cloth, no weaving or knitting being required. 1981 M. L. Joseph Essentials of Textiles ii. 9 Textile fibres..can be manufactured from natural fibrous materials such as wood pulp (rayon) or synthesized from chemicals with no resemblance to fibrous forms (nylon, polyester). |
b. Nat. Hist. Having markings resembling a woven surface; e.g. textile cone, a species of cone-shell, Conus textilis, so marked; textile snake.
| 1802 Shaw Gen. Zool. III. 462 Textile Snake. Coluber Textilis... Yellowish-grey Snake, freckled with black, and marked by numerous, undulated, transverse, bright-ferruginous stripes. 1891 Cent. Dict., Textile cone. |
2. Of or connected with weaving: see B. 1 b.
3. Naturism. Non-naturist; spec. applied to places, etc., prohibited to nudists. Cf. sense 3 of the n.
| 1970 Newsweek 25 May 55/2 Its guests follow a daily routine little different from that of the ‘textile tourists’—or non-nudists—in nearby hotels. 1979 P. Vallack Free Sun xi. 125 The peninsula that separates textile camping from Funtona Bay designated for nudism. |
B. n.
1. a. A woven fabric; any kind of cloth. Also, a synthetic material suitable for weaving; any of various materials, as a bonded fabric, which do not require weaving. (Usually in pl.)
| 1626 Bacon Sylva §846 In the warp and woof of textiles. 1870 Rock Text. Fabr. Introd. i. 10 The word ‘textile’ means every kind of stuff, no matter its material, wrought in the loom. 1885 Manch. Exam. 5 June 5/6 Machines for the preparation of textiles. 1886 Pall Mall G. 3 May 4/1 The prices of textiles have fallen considerably. 1908 A. E. Garrett Fibres for Fabrics iv. 100 Since the Chardonnet silk [sc. artificial silk] is so much more deteriorated by pure water..it matters little, so far as its extended use in textiles is concerned. 1927 M. H. Avram Rayon Industry i. 1 ‘Rayon’—the first synthetic textile... We shall briefly trace the steps from its conception; through..its struggle to gain a place as a commercially possible textile fibre. 1961 Wall St. Jrnl. 1 Dec. 14/2 Mead,..in cooperation with M. Lowenstein & Sons, Inc...is working on paper ‘textiles’. 1962 Z. Travn{iacu}ček tr. Krčma's Nonwoven Textiles i. 11 Nonwoven textiles and, particularly, adhesively bonded textiles can be manufactured by many processes. 1970 Cabinet Maker & Retail Furnisher 23 Oct. 173/2 The original term ‘non-woven textiles’ used for adhesively-bonded fabrics has grown more and more obscure as novel manufacturing technologies based on mechanical bonding processes have been introduced. Ibid., As a first simplification we can say that ‘non-woven’ textiles do not comprise traditional textile structures made by processes other than weaving (ie knitting, braiding, lace manufacture, etc). The present meaning of ‘non-woven textiles’ refers to pliable and porous products from textile materials that are reinforced by mechanical or chemical means. |
b. attrib. (or as adj.) Of or pertaining to weaving or to woven fabrics. Also, of non-woven fabric.
| 1844 G. Dodd Textile Manuf. Introd. 6 By ‘Textile manufactures’ are meant those in which filaments of cotton, of flax, of silk, or of wool, are wrought into a form fitted to be used in the making of garments. 1866 Rogers Agric. & Prices I. xxii. 569 The great..centre of textile industry in England was the two north-eastern counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. 1871 Tylor Prim. Cult. I. i. 7 Among textile arts are to be ranged matting, netting, and several grades of making and weaving threads. 1971 N.Y. Law Jrnl. 23 Nov. 1/8 Suskin was a principal in Derby Fabrics, Inc..., a textile converting and jobbing concern. Ibid., Suskin entered a business relationship with Jerry Kassel, Inc..., also a textile converter. 1974 Times 12 Feb. 11 Louis van Praag has a theory that textiles should not be designed by textile designers. 1976 Jrnl. R. Soc. Arts CXXV. 21/1 Most textile conservation begins with cleaning to remove the harmful effects of atmospheric pollution, dust, dirt and undesirable or damaging stains or soiling. Ibid. 24/2 The Textile Conservation Centre came into being primarily to provide the foundation for new textile conservators to base their studies. |
2. Fibrous material, as flax, cotton, silk, etc., suitable for being spun and woven into yarn, cloth, etc.
| 1641 Wilkins Math. Magick ii. xii. (1707) 141 The Materials..were not from any Herb, or Vegetable, as other Textiles, but from a Stone called Amiantus. 1883 Nature 8 Mar. 430/1 As to textiles, the origin of flax is somewhat complicated. 1889 Science 1 Feb. 81/2 The discovery of a new textile on the shores of the Caspian. |
3. Naturism. A non-naturist; spec. one who wears a swimming costume on the beach.
| 1979 Listener 4 Jan. 20/1 The world's first naturist community..is up for sale and will probably become a holiday resort for ‘textiles’—the word naturists use for people who keep their clothes on when they could take them off. 1979 P. Vallack Free Sun vii. 85 What would the sign have to do? Alert non-naturists (textiles) that they will see nude bathers if they continue in that direction. 1983 Times 6 July 32/2 The topless generally inhabit the more remote ends of the beach well away from the ‘textiles’. |
Hence ˈtextilist, one engaged in the textile industry; a weaver or seller of cloth.
| 1855 Ecclesiologist XVI. 275 The handicraft of the goldsmith, stone carver, and textilist. |