Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A light, plain-weave, sheer fabric of cotton, rayon, silk, or wool used especially for making dresses and curtains.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A fabric similar to the old-fashioned nun's-veiling, but made with somewhat heavier yarns.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A light, translucent cotton fabric used for making curtains and dresses

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a light semitransparent fabric

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, from Old French veile, veil, from Latin vēla, neuter pl. of vēlum, covering.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Anglo-Norman veil, Old French voile.

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Examples

  • Like batiste, voile is a fine sheer fabric usually used for making dresses and curtains.

    "Make It Yourself": Home Sewing, Gender, and Culture, 1890-1930 2006

  • Wands made with lavender tied in voile and ribbon, were stored along with the linens, to keep bugs away and to add a fresh scent.

    The Linen Closet 2006

  • Wands made with lavender tied in voile and ribbon, were stored along with the linens, to keep bugs away and to add a fresh scent.

    Archive 2006-08-01 2006

  • France's answer to Spain's top-quality dry sherry, these two wines share similarities in the way they are produced, aging under a blanket of yeast, called "voile" in the case of Vin Jaune and "flor" with Sherry.

    unknown title 2009

  • However, for his Spring 2011 collection, Gn focused eyelet cotton voile with lace insets, silk georgette and silk crepe in all sorts of colors.

    Linda Grasso: Behind the Scenes at the Andrew Gn Show in Paris Linda Grasso 2010

  • Français · Une femme égyptienne tuée dans un tribunal allemand à cause de son voile srpski · Egipćanka ubijena u nemačkoj sudnici zbog nošenja vela

    Global Voices in English » Egyptian woman killed in German court for being veiled 2009

  • Tissue thin, the voile rises and falls at the window like the valve of a new-born's heart, a pulse in slow motion.

    Crown-of-thorns Rachel J. Fenton 2012

  • “Perhaps the cream voile, Madame Hughes?” offered Madame Sophie, holding out a light, puffed creation.

    Exit the Actress Priya Parmar 2011

  • We ate out on the deck and afterwards Chris fitted the voile screens onto Lisa's windows while I caught up on some paperwork.

    Crown-of-thorns Rachel J. Fenton 2012

  • Bee Group dresses and separates by color—instead of by season—which will coax you to mix cashmere with cotton voile and khaki with velvet, with surprisingly cool results.

    Ask Teri Teri Agins 2011

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