fabric

B2 Topic:Materials & Substances

US /ˈfæb.ɹɪk/ See IPA manual

Freq #6331

Meanings

1

noun
Cloth or material made by weaving or knitting threads together.

The curtains were made of a light, semi-transparent fabric.
2

noun
The basic structure that holds a society or system together.

Strong families are an important part of the fabric of society.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · cloth or material made by... textile cloth material

Word family

Forms fabrics

Derived forms biofabricfabrickyfabriclessfabriclikegeofabricichnofabricmicrofabricnanofabricnonfabricself-fabric

Related forms fur leather

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

cotton fabric
cloth made from cotton fibers

Noun + noun

Simplified etymology

Fabric entered English in late Middle English from Latin fabrica, “something skilfully produced.” It first meant a building, then a machine or appliance and more generally something made; this progression produced the modern sense “cloth” or “textile” in the mid-18th century.

Etymology

Borrowed from French fabrique, from Latin fabrica (“a workshop, art, trade, product of art, structure, fabric”), from faber (“artisan, workman”). Doublet of fabrica, borrowed from Latin, and forge, borrowed from Old French.

fabrica Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Materials & Substances

External links

# fabric

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈfæb.ɹɪk/
**Frequency rank:** 6331

## Meanings
1. Cloth or material made by weaving or knitting threads together.
2. The basic structure that holds a society or system together.

## Examples
- The curtains were made of a light, semi-transparent fabric.
- Strong families are an important part of the fabric of society.

## Synonyms
- cloth
- textile

## Derived Forms
- biofabric
- fabricky
- fabricless
- fabriclike
- geofabric
- ichnofabric
- microfabric
- nanofabric
- nonfabric
- self-fabric

## Related Forms
- fur
- leather

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: fabrica

## Etymology
Borrowed from French fabrique, from Latin fabrica (“a workshop, art, trade, product of art, structure, fabric”), from faber (“artisan, workman”). Doublet of fabrica, borrowed from Latin, and forge, borrowed from Old French.

## AI Etymology
Fabric was borrowed from French fabrique, from Latin fabrica (“a workshop, art, trade, product of art, structure, fabric”), from faber (“artisan, workman”). Doublet of fabrica, borrowed from Latin, and forge, borrowed from Old French. In current use, the main senses are “Cloth or material made by weaving or knitting threads together” and “The basic structure that holds a society or system together”.

## Topics
- Materials & Substances

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