Etymograph

English

chenille

Chenille comes from French chenille, from Latin canīcula ‘little dog’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peḱ- ‘livestock’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peḱ-1‘livestock’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*péḱu2‘livestock’uncertain*u-stem of *peḱ-
  3. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱwṓ3‘dog’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcanēs3
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcanis3‘dog’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcanīcula4‘little dog’
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentchenille5
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1929chenille5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *péḱu
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *ḱwṓ, which cites Hamp
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Latin canicula
  4. 4 Wiktionary, French chenille
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English chenille
  6. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1929, M. Barnard Eldershaw, A House is Built: “The house seemed unfamiliar in the dark stormy light;…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peḱ-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *péḱu‘livestock’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*péḱuWiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *ḱwṓ, which cites Hamp‘livestock’uncertain*u-stem of *peḱ-
  3. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱwṓWiktionary, Latin canicula‘dog’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcanēsWiktionary, Latin canicula
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcanisWiktionary, Latin canicula‘dog’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcanīculaWiktionary, French chenille‘little dog’
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentchenilleWiktionary, English chenille
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1929chenilleWiktionary, English chenille. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1929, M. Barnard Eldershaw, A House is Built: “The house seemed unfamiliar in the dark stormy light;…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *peḱ- ‘livestock’

fight, fellow, peculiar, fax, feudal, fawn, fain, 25 more

through Proto-Indo-European *péḱu ‘livestock’

fee, feud, feu, pec, pecuniary, 13 more

through Proto-Indo-European *ḱwṓ ‘dog’

hound, cynical, poodle, cynic, 10 more

through Latin canis ‘dog’

canine, kennel, 9 more

Today it means

noun An extremely soft and bunchy fabric often used to make sweaters.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “chenille”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *péḱu, Proto-Indo-European *ḱwṓ, Latin canicula, French chenille. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *peḱ- / chenille

Shirt and support for this word