Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
textile vs. fabric
English answer:
fabric - Sense evolved via "manufactured material" (1753) to "textile" (1791)
Added to glossary by
Claire Chapman
May 23, 2008 10:22
16 yrs ago
5 viewers *
English term
textile vs. fabric
English
Other
Other
Extinguishers
Water: Suitable for paper, wood, textile and fabric fires.
[what's the difference, all my dictionaries say this means the same thing?]
[what's the difference, all my dictionaries say this means the same thing?]
Responses
| 4 +3 | fabric - Sense evolved via "manufactured material" (1753) to "textile" (1791) |
Claire Chapman
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| 3 +2 | subtle difference |
d_vachliot (X)
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| 4 | textile=fabric (you're right) |
Carmen Schultz
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Change log
Jun 6, 2008 15:19: Claire Chapman Created KOG entry
Responses
+3
18 hrs
Claire Chapman
Native in English
&
English
Works in field
All things textile
Native in: English 
Works in: French to English, English to French, English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Selected
fabric - Sense evolved via "manufactured material" (1753) to "textile" (1791)
Over time, meanings can shift. Just like with word pairs such as blood and gore, it helps to look at the etymology to distinguish the differences between each word. Also look at the shared meaning elements of cloth.
Fabric
American Heritage Dictionary
[Middle English fabryke, something constructed, from Old French fabrique, from Latin fabrica, craft, workshop, from faber, fabr-, workman, artificer.]
fabric Online Etymology
1483, "building, thing made," from M.Fr. fabrique, from L. fabrica "workshop," from faber "artisan who works in hard materials."** Sense evolved via "manufactured material" (1753) to "textile" (1791)**. Fabricate is c.1450, from L. fabricatus, pp. of fabricare "to fashion, build," from fabrica. In bad sense of "to tell a lie," etc., it is first recorded 1779.
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=fabric
American Heritage Dictionary
[Origin: 1520–30; < L textilis woven, textile (n. use of neut.) woven fabric, equiv. to text(us), ptp. of texere to weave + -ilis, -ile -ILE ]
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=textile
Online Etymology Dictionary 1626, from L. textilis "woven, fabric, cloth," noun use of textilis "woven," from texere "to weave," from PIE base *tek- "to make" (see texture).
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=textile
cloth –noun
1. a fabric formed by weaving, felting, etc., from wool, hair, silk, flax, cotton, or other fiber, used for garments, upholstery, and many other items.
2. a piece of such a fabric for a particular purpose: an altar cloth.
3. the particular attire of any profession, esp. that of the clergy. Compare MAN OF THE CLOTH.
4. the cloth, the clergy: men of the cloth.
5. Nautical.
a. one of the lengths of canvas or duck of standard width sewn side by side to form a sail, awning, or tarpaulin.
b. any of various pieces of canvas or duck for reinforcing certain areas of a sail.
c. a number of sails taken as a whole.
6. Obsolete. a garment; clothing.
Online Etymology Dictionary
cloth
O.E. clað "a cloth," hence, "garment," from P.Gmc. *kalithaz, origin obscure. The cloth "the clerical profession" first attested 1701.
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=cloth
Fabric
American Heritage Dictionary
[Middle English fabryke, something constructed, from Old French fabrique, from Latin fabrica, craft, workshop, from faber, fabr-, workman, artificer.]
fabric Online Etymology
1483, "building, thing made," from M.Fr. fabrique, from L. fabrica "workshop," from faber "artisan who works in hard materials."** Sense evolved via "manufactured material" (1753) to "textile" (1791)**. Fabricate is c.1450, from L. fabricatus, pp. of fabricare "to fashion, build," from fabrica. In bad sense of "to tell a lie," etc., it is first recorded 1779.
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=fabric
American Heritage Dictionary
[Origin: 1520–30; < L textilis woven, textile (n. use of neut.) woven fabric, equiv. to text(us), ptp. of texere to weave + -ilis, -ile -ILE ]
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=textile
Online Etymology Dictionary 1626, from L. textilis "woven, fabric, cloth," noun use of textilis "woven," from texere "to weave," from PIE base *tek- "to make" (see texture).
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=textile
cloth –noun
1. a fabric formed by weaving, felting, etc., from wool, hair, silk, flax, cotton, or other fiber, used for garments, upholstery, and many other items.
2. a piece of such a fabric for a particular purpose: an altar cloth.
3. the particular attire of any profession, esp. that of the clergy. Compare MAN OF THE CLOTH.
4. the cloth, the clergy: men of the cloth.
5. Nautical.
a. one of the lengths of canvas or duck of standard width sewn side by side to form a sail, awning, or tarpaulin.
b. any of various pieces of canvas or duck for reinforcing certain areas of a sail.
c. a number of sails taken as a whole.
6. Obsolete. a garment; clothing.
Online Etymology Dictionary
cloth
O.E. clað "a cloth," hence, "garment," from P.Gmc. *kalithaz, origin obscure. The cloth "the clerical profession" first attested 1701.
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=cloth
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Christine Andersen
: 'fabric' is wider and can also be used figuratively (fabric of a building, of society etc.) while textile is always more or less related to fibres and cloth
2 days 3 hrs
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Thank you, Christine :-)
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| agree |
Tania McConaghy
3 days 2 hrs
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Thank you, Tania :-)
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| agree |
Brian Ro
: You may describe the meaning in opposite way. Textile has a scope wider than fabrics.
4144 days
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
27 mins
Carmen Schultz
Native in English
&
English
Specializes in field
Accurate & Reliable
Native in: Spanish 
, English
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English, French to English, and 2 more.
textile=fabric (you're right)
You're right
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Note added at 27 mins (2008-05-23 10:50:54 GMT)
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fabric
A noun
1 fabric, cloth, material, textile
artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers; "the fabric in the curtains was light and semitraqnsparent"; "woven cloth originated in Mesopotamia around 5000 BC"; "she measured off enough material for a dress
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Note added at 29 mins (2008-05-23 10:52:35 GMT)
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Adapted From: WordNet 2.0 Copyright 2003 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
textile
A noun
1 fabric, cloth, material, textile
artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers; "the fabric in the curtains was light and semitraqnsparent"; "woven cloth originated in Mesopotamia around 5000 BC"; "she measured off enough material for a dress"
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 27 mins (2008-05-23 10:50:54 GMT)
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fabric
A noun
1 fabric, cloth, material, textile
artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers; "the fabric in the curtains was light and semitraqnsparent"; "woven cloth originated in Mesopotamia around 5000 BC"; "she measured off enough material for a dress
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 29 mins (2008-05-23 10:52:35 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Adapted From: WordNet 2.0 Copyright 2003 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
textile
A noun
1 fabric, cloth, material, textile
artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers; "the fabric in the curtains was light and semitraqnsparent"; "woven cloth originated in Mesopotamia around 5000 BC"; "she measured off enough material for a dress"
+2
36 mins
subtle difference
According to Wikipedia:
Textile terminology
The words fabric and cloth are commonly used in textile assembly trades (such as tailoring and dressmaking) as synonyms for textile. However, there are subtle differences in these terms. Textile refers to any material made of interlacing fibres. Fabric refers to any material made through weaving, knitting, crocheting, or bonding. Cloth refers to a finished piece of fabric that can be used for a purpose such as covering a bed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textile
Textile terminology
The words fabric and cloth are commonly used in textile assembly trades (such as tailoring and dressmaking) as synonyms for textile. However, there are subtle differences in these terms. Textile refers to any material made of interlacing fibres. Fabric refers to any material made through weaving, knitting, crocheting, or bonding. Cloth refers to a finished piece of fabric that can be used for a purpose such as covering a bed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textile
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Carmen Schultz
: I would not lend too much credence to wikipedia , a regular dictionary is a better source
29 mins
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| agree |
Gary D
: There are small differences, I would put them both in as textile is mainly used for raw materials like cotton etc, But you can have a plastic woven fabric, but not a plastic woven textile.
1 day 12 hrs
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Indeed!
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| agree |
hazmatgerman (X)
: With Schultz re dics., with Gary D. re differentiation. See http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/5980743/claims.html where "textile" couldn't possibly replace "fabric".
2 days 22 hrs
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| neutral |
Brian Ro
: The important point is which source provides the correct answer, not just the name of the source. In this case, Wiki beats the existing dictionary.
4145 days
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Discussion