TEXTILE • noun: textile; plural noun: textiles.

1. A type of cloth or woven fabric. “a fascinating range of pottery, jewellery, and textiles”. 2. (among nudists) A non-nudist, especially on a beach. “nudists to the left, textiles to the right”. 3. The branch of industry involved in the manufacture of cloth. “in textiles, more women were employed than men”.

Synonyms: fabric, cloth, material.

Origin: Early 17th century: from Latin textilis, from text- ‘woven’, from the verb texere.