fabric

American  

[fab-rik] / ˈfæb rɪk /

noun

1. a cloth made by weaving, knitting, or felting fibers.

   woolen fabrics.

2. the texture of the woven, knitted, or felted material.

   cloth of a soft, pliant fabric.

3. framework; structure.

   the fabric of society.

4. a building; edifice.

5. the method of construction.

6. the act of constructing, especially of a church building.

7. the maintenance of such a building.

8. Petrography. the spatial arrangement and orientation of the constituents of a rock.

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fabric British  

/ ˈfæbrɪk /

noun

1. any cloth made from yarn or fibres by weaving, knitting, felting, etc

2. the texture of a cloth

3. a structure or framework

   the fabric of society

4. a style or method of construction

5. rare a building

6. the texture, arrangement, and orientation of the constituents of a rock

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Etymology

Origin of fabric

1475–85; (< Middle French fabrique ) < Latin fabrica craft, especially metalworking or building, workshop. See forge ¹

Example Sentences

This means they can be aligned with fibers in textiles, creating more durable and conductive coatings for smart fabrics.

From Science Daily

While American baseball abandoned the splitter, the pitch remained part of the cultural fabric for Japanese pitching.

From The Wall Street Journal

"This had massive knock-on effects that damaged the social fabric of many countries with widespread strikes, unrest, and increases in poverty as many households struggled to make ends meet," he said.

From BBC

He said every castle carried "the weight and wonder of history" but many buyers would commission additional specialist surveys to "fully appreciate the fabric of the building".

From BBC

One manufacturer’s idea of khaki or olive drab, for example, might not match another’s—a serious problem when thousands of yards of uniform fabric had to be dyed the same shade.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• fiber
• goods
• textile
• texture