/sheuh neel"/ , n.
1. a velvety cord or yarn of silk or worsted, for embroidery, fringes, etc.
2. fabric made with a fringed silken thread used as the weft in combination with wool or cotton.
3. any fabric with a protruding pile, as in certain rayon bedspreads.
4. a deep-pile, durable, woolen carpeting with chenille weft: the most expensive power-loomed floor covering.
[ 1730-40; canicula, with etymological sense "little dog," though attested only in senses "shrewish woman, dogfish, Sirius" (see CANICULAR); for parallel use of "cat" in same sense, see CATERPILLAR ]