beggars' velvet

noun

A blend of cotton and linen, used for making suits etc.

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Meanings

nounbeggars' velvet (uncountable)
  1. historicaluncountableA blend of cotton and linen, used for making suits etc.
  2. colloquialuncountableDust bunnies; fluff.

    A scrawny man with long, matted hair shuffled forward. He had a pale face under a^([sic]) unkempt beard, his coat torn, dark breeches baggy over his thin thighs. Mould was growing in the seams of his coat, and dust, like beggars' velvet, lay on the nap.

    2011, Chris Nickson, Broken Token

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
dust bunny

Origin

(cotton-linen blend): So called because less expensive than velvet; compare poor man's.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

beggars' velvet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beggars'%20velvet

MLA

“beggars' velvet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beggars'%20velvet. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “beggars' velvet,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beggars'%20velvet.

Source: beggars' velvet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.