velvet

Where does the word "velvet" come from? It comes from Medieval Latin villutus, passing through Italian before entering English (1300s).

Velvet’s story begins in Medieval Latin: villutus meant “shaggy, hairy.” Shaggy, hairy, from villus (shaggy hair, tuft). By medieval, the word had taken hold in Italian as velluto. Settled in Italian for the dense, soft woven fabric. It reached English by 1300s as velvet. Settled as the English word for the soft, dense fabric. Today, velvet means a soft, dense fabric with a short, smooth pile.

1. Stage 1 · Medieval Latin · medieval villutus "shaggy, hairy", shaggy, hairy, from villus (shaggy hair, tuft).
2. Stage 2 · Italian · medieval velluto "a dense, soft woven fabric", settled in Italian for the dense, soft woven fabric.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s velvet "a soft, dense woven fabric with a short pile", settled as the English word for the soft, dense fabric.