Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - velvet

 I. noun  Etymology: Middle English veluet, ~, from Anglo-French, from velu shaggy, soft, ~y, from Vulgar Latin *villutus, from Latin villus shaggy hair; akin to Latin vellus fleece — more at wool  Date: 14th century  1. a clothing and upholstery fabric (as of silk, rayon, or wool) characterized by a short soft dense warp pile  2.  a. something suggesting ~  b. a characteristic (as softness or smoothness) of ~  3. the soft vascular skin that envelops and nourishes the developing antlers of deer  4.  a. the winnings of a player in a gambling game  b. a profit or gain beyond ordinary expectation  • ~like adjective  II. adjective  Date: 14th century  1. made of or covered with ~; also clad in ~  2. resembling or suggesting ~ ; ~y a ~ voice