Camlet
/ˈkæm.lɪt/noun
A fine woven fabric, historically made of camel hair, wool, or silk, often with a smooth finish.
Did you know?Camlet’s name likely passed through medieval trade routes from Arabic and French, showing how luxury textiles carried not just goods but entire words across the old world.
Etymological Timeline
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
khamālāt / ḵamlat (likely intermediary forms)
“A cloth or textile term associated with fine fabric, probably linked to camel hair or a similar material”
Medieval Latin
Latin
camelotum / camelatus (attested later forms)
“A textile name used in trade and administrative records”
Old French
OF
camelot
“A costly cloth, often of mixed fibers”
14th Century
English
camlet
“A fine cloth, originally associated with camel hair or a camel-hair mixture”
Modern English
English
camlet
“A smooth, lustrous fabric made historically from wool, silk, or camel hair”