tex ‧ ture /ˈtekstʃə $ -ər/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable and countable]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: textura , from texere ; ⇨ ↑ text ]
1 . the way a surface or material feels when you touch it, especially how smooth or rough it is
smooth/silky/rough etc texture
the smooth texture of silk
a designer who experiments with different colours and textures
2 . the way that a particular type of food feels in your mouth
creamy/crunchy/meaty etc texture
This soup has a lovely creamy texture.
3 . formal the way the different parts of a piece of writing, music, art etc are combined in order to produce a final effect:
the rich texture of Shakespeare’s English
—textural adjective
—texturally adverb
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meanings 1 & 2)
■ adjectives
▪ soft
The texure of the cheese is soft and creamy.
▪ firm
a round loaf with a firm texture
▪ smooth
The dessert had a good all-round flavour and a smooth texture.
▪ silky (=soft, smooth, and shiny)
a cream with a silky texture
▪ velvety (=smooth and soft)
The cream gave my skin a velvety texture.
▪ rough
She felt the rough texture of his beard against her cheek.
▪ creamy (=tasting thick and smooth)
The soup looked beautiful and the texture was really creamy.
▪ crunchy (=tasting firm and making a noise when bitten)
The salad has a lovely crunchy texture.
▪ meaty
The bacon has a good meaty texture and it isn't too salty.