Also 8 velvatean. [f. VELVET sb. Hence F. velvetine.]
1. A fabric having the appearance or surface of velvet, but made from cotton in place of silk.
1776. Specif. Woolstenholme’s Patent, No. 1123. For his new kind of goods called velvateans, being an improvement on velveretts.
1795. J. Aikin, Manchester, 299. Velvets, velveteens, thicksets.
1843. Ld. Melbourne, in Benson & Esher, Lett. Q. Victoria (1908), I. 467. George Byng came the other morning in a waistcoat of Peel’s velveteen.
1860. All Year Round, No. 53. 63. The barragons and fustians,… dimities and velveteens, for which Bolton was famous.
1882. Caulfeild & Saward, Dict. Needlework, 511/1. Velveteen, a description of fustian, made of twilled cotton, and having a raised pile, and of finer cotton, and better finish than the latter.
b. attrib. Made of this material.
1824. Miss Mitford, Village, Ser. I. (1863), 200. He … generally sticks to his velveteen jacket.
1841. Lytton, Nt. & Morn., I. i. A man … plainly clad in a velveteen shooting-jacket.
1860. All Year Round, No. 57. 156. He wore a fur cap, and shorts, and was of the velveteen race, velveteeny.
1887. Doyle, Study in Scarlet (1892), 26. A railway porter in his velveteen uniform.
2. pl. a. Trousers or knickerbockers made of this material.
1863. Kingsley, Water-Bab., i. He … thought of the fine times coming, when he would be a man,… and wear velveteens and ankle-jacks.
1865. Dickens, Mut. Fr., I. ii. ‘The man,’ Mortimer goes on,… ‘was only son of a tremendous old rascal who made his money by Dust.’ ‘Red velveteens and a bell?’ the gloomy Eugene inquires.
b. transf. A gamekeeper (as commonly wearing velveteen clothes).
1857. Hughes, Tom Brown, I. ix. What business is that of yours, old Velveteens?
1880. W. Carnegie, Pract. Trap., 23. Be it known that Velveteens placed those ‘brammels’ there in order that we might move them.
Hence Velveteened a., dressed in velveteen. Also (in nonce-use) Velveteeny adj.: see prec. 1 b.
1896. Daily News, 10 Nov., 2/1. In the procession thereafter were the velveteened foresters.
