flannel Definition
flan·nel (flan′əl)
noun
- a soft, lightweight, loosely woven woolen cloth with a slightly napped surface
- cotton flannel
- trousers, etc. made of light flannel
- heavy woolen underwear
Etymology: ME, akin to or < flanen < Welsh gwlanen < gwlan, wool < IE base *wel-, hair, wool
transitive verb -·neled or -·nelled, -·nel·ing or -·nel·ling
to wrap or clothe in flannel
flannel Related Forms
flan′·nelly adjective
flannel Synonyms
flannel Usage Examples
Converse of object
- wear: It was commonly believed that wearing a flannel bans around the waist under the shirt would prevent disease.
- use: We use very soft flannel or terrycloth on the exterior of the dolls, with 100 % natural wool inside.
- hold: Ibuprofen is an alternative; A warm flannel held against the swollen painful cheeks is soothing.
- soak: Treatment Hot Compresses hold a clean flannel soaked in comfortably hot water against the ( closed ) eyelids for 5 minutes.
Adjective modifier
- damp: Whether Joseph waited outside the barn door or dabbed Mary's forehead with a soothing damp flannel isn't recorded.
- wet: I immediately told her to get out of the bath and then put a cold, wet flannel on all the red patches.
- gray: Do you ever see cows dressed in gray flannel in London?
- cold: She touched what was left of my face, bathed it with a cold flannel.
- Welsh: They came up with the idea of using an iron trough, sealed with Welsh flannel boiled in sugar, plus an ox-blood mortar.
- white: A simple form of mantle was thrown over their shoulders --- a square piece of white flannel, bordered with colored binding.
Modifies a noun
- petticoat: March 24 th 1845 Sarah Osborne aged 11 years was convicted of stealing a flannel petticoat from Jane Mudd of Gedding.
- shirt: His closet is filled with flannel shirts, rather than thousand dollar designer suits.
- trouser: He chose cheap, slightly hairy square jackets with gray flannel trousers rather in the style of postwar British jazz bands.
- lining: Baby Bags and Baby Clothes From Grembo Baby Store Grembo Bags with fleece lining and terry cloth Grembo Bags with flannel lining.
- suit: Wykham, in his new dark-grey flannel suit, was standing up reading aloud the label on a sherry bottle.
- industry: The flannel industry, like many other occupations, was also to be changed by the coming of the railroad to the district.
Noun used with modifier
- cotton: A soft clean cotton flannel cloth is ideal for this purpose.
- face: Another instance could be a dishcloth or face flannel that has been left too long between washes.
- %: A fine, luxurious woven wrap, of top quality 100 % wool flannel with gussetted legs with gentle elastication giving a snug fit.
- wool: In 1918 the Royal Polytechnic had pure wool flannel belts to ward off the threat of the pandemic Spanish ' flu.
Browse dictionary entries near flannel
- ‹ flanker
- ‹ flanken
- ‹ flank
- ‹ flange
- ‹ Flanders
- ‹ Flanagan, Bud stage name of Robert Winthrop
- ‹ Flanagan, Bud
- ‹ Flanagan
- ‹ flan
- ‹ Flammarion
- flannel-mouthed ›
- flannelette ›
- flap ›
- flapdoodle ›
- flapjack ›
- flapper ›
- flare ›
- flare-up ›
- flareback ›
- flaring ›

