About flannels/towels Hello everyone! I think I've heard the word "flannel" in a conversation as well, but I hadn't really given it much thought. Yesterday I came across it in one video one more time

Kseniia

About flannels/towels Hello everyone! I think I've heard the word "flannel" in a conversation as well, but I hadn't really given it much thought. Yesterday I came across it in one video one more time (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEPV63O4iq8 from 1:05), and it also means "towel" (as far as I understand from the context). So I have a couple of questions: 1. Does the word flannel refer to any towel, or is it more like "facecloth" (a small one, 10"x10" or so)? 2. What is it really made of? Am I right thinking that "flannel" has nothing to do with the material? Can I call any kind of towel a flannel?

Dec 14, 2018 7:12 PM

Answers · 13

This is how I'd understand the two meanings of the word 'flannel': 1. Uncountable noun = a type of fabric e.g. a flannel shirt 2. Countable noun = a face cloth Both uses strike me as quite old-fashioned. There is a third meaning - if someone is " talking a load of old flannel", it means nonsense.

December 14, 2018

It's definitely British. Dictionary.com gives the second definition as British; a washcloth. Yet if you look at the standard definition on this page it is more particularly a type of fabric. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/flannel noun a soft, slightly napped fabric of wool or wool and another fiber, used for trousers, jackets, shirts, etc. a soft, warm, light fabric of cotton or cotton and another fiber, thickly napped on one side and used for sleepwear, undergarments, sheets, etc. flannels, an outer garment, especially trousers, made of flannel. woolen undergarments.

December 14, 2018

The word is very commonly used in the U.S. to refer to shirts and bedding (sheets) that are made from cotton or cotton-polyester mix, designed to feel warmer in winter than other materials.

December 15, 2018

Oh, great, thanks for the information, Coligno! Well, I think it totally justifies using the word, no matter how old-fashioned it might sound :)

December 15, 2018

In case you were wondering (and I know you were), it's a Celtic word. There seems to be some uncertainty as to whether it comes directly from Welsh "gwlanen" or via French (from Gaulish), but either way it ultimately derives from Celtic *wlanâ meaning "wool".

December 15, 2018

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