Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A soft woven fabric, often of silk or cotton, having a crosswise rib.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Originally, a hood covering the face, worn by nuns of certain orders; also, a veil worn by women, and covering the head and shoulders, the word having different meanings at different periods from the thirteenth to the eighteenth century.
  • noun Hence The material of which such a garment was made.
  • noun A silk fabric having a very light “grain” or cord, in distinction from ottoman, which has a heavy cord (gros grain), and from surah, which is twilled.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A soft silk, heavier than a foulard and not glossy.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A fabric woven from silk, cotton, or rayon with slight ribs.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a ribbed woven fabric of silk or rayon or cotton

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, from Old North French, cloth head-covering worn by women in Flanders, possibly from Middle Dutch falie, scarf.]

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Examples

  • One of the master's endless searches was for fabrics that had inner life and light—paper taffeta, silk faille, organza—as well as a firm enough "hand" to hold volumetric shapes made with fewer seams.

    Fashion's Eternal Flame Laura Jacobs 2011

  • When the dress of silk faille and feathers still hadn't arrived just days before her daughter's bat mitzvah, Lesley Wolman called Savannah, the Santa Monica, Calif., boutique where she'd ordered the dress at a trunk show.

    How Boutiques Pamper Top Customers Christina Binkley 2011

  • She called the effect "faille brush stroke print."

    Designers Take Refuge in Warmer Fabrics Christina Binkley 2010

  • Prabal Gurung Draped silk faille dress with gazar ruffles.

    Next Big Thing? Ray A. Smith 2010

  • Getty Images Oscar de la Renta featured unapologetic luxury with fabrics like silk faille and a finely detailed orange dress.

    Glamour Amid the Gloom Rachel Dodes 2010

  • Getty Images Oscar de la Renta featured unapologetic luxury with fabrics like silk faille and a finely detailed orange dress.

    Glamour Amid the Gloom Rachel Dodes 2010

  • Prabal Gurung Draped silk faille dress with gazar ruffles.

    Next Big Thing? Ray A. Smith 2010

  • Prabal Gurung Draped silk faille dress with gazar ruffles.

    Next Big Thing? Ray A. Smith 2010

  • Prabal Gurung Draped silk faille dress with gazar ruffles.

    Next Big Thing? Ray A. Smith 2010

  • Prabal Gurung Draped silk faille dress with gazar ruffles.

    Next Big Thing? Ray A. Smith 2010

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