Definitions

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

  • noun A soft fabric having a smooth, dense pile and a plain underside.
  • noun Something suggesting the smooth surface of velvet.
  • noun Smoothness; softness.
  • noun The soft, furry covering on the developing antlers of deer.
  • noun The winnings of a gambler.
  • noun A profit or gain beyond what is expected or due.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A closely woven silk stuff having a very thick and short pile on one side, which is formed by carrying part of the warp-thread over a needle, and cutting the loops afterward.
  • noun The covering of a growing antler, consisting of the modified periosteum peculiar to antlers, with cuticle and fur.
  • noun Money gained through gambling: as, to play on velvet (that is, to gamble with money previously won). [Slang.]
  • Made of velvet.
  • Soft and smooth to the touch; resembling velvet in this respect.
  • Very soft and smooth to the taste: as, old velvet Bourbon.
  • To produce velvet-painting.
  • To cover with velvet; cause to resemble velvet.

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

  • adjective Made of velvet; soft and delicate, like velvet; velvety.
  • intransitive verb rare To pain velvet.
  • transitive verb rare To make like, or cover with, velvet.
  • noun A silk fabric, having a short, close nap of erect threads. Inferior qualities are made with a silk pile on a cotton or linen back, or with other soft fibers such as nylon, acetate, or rayon.
  • noun The soft and highly vascular deciduous skin which envelops and nourishes the antlers of deer during their rapid growth.
  • noun Something likened to velvet{1} in being soft or luxurious.
  • noun an imitation of velvet, made of cotton.
  • noun the best kind of cork bark, supple, elastic, and not woody or porous.
  • noun (Zoöl.) a European crab (Portunus puber). When adult the black carapace is covered with a velvety pile. Called also lady crab, and velvet fiddler.
  • noun (Bot.) the common mullein.
  • noun (Zoöl.) The American whitewinged scoter. See Scoter.
  • noun (Bot.) love-lies-bleeding. See under Love.
  • noun (Bot.) a tall grass (Holcus lanatus) with velvety stem and leaves; -- called also soft grass.
  • noun (Zoöl.), [Prov. Eng.] the water rail; -- so called from its quiet, stealthy manner of running.
  • noun (Zoöl.) Same as Velvet duck, above.
  • noun (Zoöl.) See under Sponge.
  • noun having a coating of velvet{2} over the antlers; in the annual stage where the antlers are still growing; -- of deer.

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

  • noun A closely woven fabric (originally of silk, now also of cotton or man-made fibres) with a thick short pile on one side.
  • noun Very fine fur, including the skin and fur on a deer's antlers.
  • verb cooking To coat raw meat in starch, then in oil, preparatory to frying

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

  • adjective resembling velvet in having a smooth soft surface
  • noun a silky densely piled fabric with a plain back
  • adjective smooth and soft to sight or hearing or touch or taste

Etymologies

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

[Middle English veluet, probably from Old Provençal, from Vulgar Latin *villūtittus, diminutive of *villūtus, from Latin villus, shaggy hair, nap.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Old French veluotte, from Latin villus ("tuft, down").

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Examples

  • It serves all the same functions of a night stand with a lamp while naturally being slicker and leaner than buying a rickety wooden nightstand with a tacky candlestick faux-gothic lamp covered in velvet from the 1970s.

    Beautiful Room : Chandelier Creative 2009

  • : transients attempt to succumb to pathos, and triumph as sad clowns in velvet. there's an oxymoron or two in there, i think. and unseen in the infinite depths of black velvet is the weight of indelible viciousness shouldered by the garish penitents. or maybe Xtreme Hobo Stick.

    Hobo Stick Slimbolala 2006

  • The Buck is in velvet and checking out this little fawn.

    October Trail Cam Contest 2009

  • Scott I would have sworn you had pic of a buck shot with full headgear still in velvet this season.

    Whitetail Weirdness 2009

  • The shadow of a flying-fox drifted by in velvet silence overhead.

    Chapter 10 2010

  • The next year I got a couple of pictures of him in velvet and with hard horns.

    The Big Blow Up 2009

  • She fashioned herself the “bandit queen,” dressing in velvet and feathers or buckskin and moccasins.

    Five People Born on February 5 | myFiveBest 2010

  • Scott I would have sworn you had pic of a buck shot with full headgear still in velvet this season.

    Whitetail Weirdness 2009

  • "Any more of you guys want to promenade aft?" he queried in velvet tones.

    CHAPTER XLII 2010

  • The next year I got a couple of pictures of him in velvet and with hard horns.

    The Big Blow Up 2009

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