Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Flannel

Flan′nel

(flăn′nĕl)
,
Noun.
[F.
flanelle
, cf. OF.
flaine
a pillowcase, a mattress (?); fr. W.
gwlanen
flannel, fr.
gwlan
wool; prob. akin to E.
wool
. Cf.
Wool
.]
1.
A soft, nappy, woolen cloth, of loose texture.
Shak.
Adam’s flannel
.
(Bot.)
See under
Adam
.
Canton flannel
,
Cotton flannel
.
See
Cotton flannel
, under
Cotton
.

Webster 1828 Edition


Flannel

FLAN'NEL

,
Noun.
[L. lana.]
A soft nappy woolen cloth of loose texture.

Definition 2024


flannel

flannel

English

Alternative forms

  • flannen (dialectal)
  • flanan, flanning, flanen (Scotland)

Noun

flannel (countable and uncountable, plural flannels)

  1. (uncountable) A soft cloth material woven from wool, possibly combined with cotton or synthetic fibers.
    With the weather turning colder, it was time to dig out our flannel sheets and nightclothes.
    • 2012, Tom Lamont, How Mumford & Sons became the biggest band in the world (in The Daily Telegraph, 15 November 2012)
      First singer and guitarist Marcus Mumford, wearing a black suit, then bassist Ted Dwane, in leather bomber and T-shirt. Next bearded banjo player Winston Marshall, his blue flannel shirt hanging loose, and pianist Ben Lovett, wrapped in a woollen coat.
  2. (New Zealand, Britain) A washcloth.
  3. (slang) Soothing plausible untruth and half truth, claptrap - "Don't talk flannel"

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

flannel (not comparable)

  1. made of flannel

Translations

Verb

flannel (third-person singular simple present flannels, present participle flanneling or flannelling, simple past and past participle flanneled or flannelled)

  1. (transitive) To rub with a flannel.
  2. (transitive) To flatter; to suck up to.