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Webster 1913 Edition

(shē̍-nēl′)

Noun.

[F., prop., a caterpillar.]

Tufted cord, of silk or worsted, for the trimming of ladies’ dresses, for embroidery and fringes, and for the weft of Chenille rugs.

Chenille fabric on a sofa

chenille ‎(countable and uncountable, plural chenilles)

an extremely soft and bunchy fabric often used to make sweaters
- 1929, M. Barnard Eldershaw, A House Is Built, Chapter VII, Section vi
  The house seemed unfamiliar in the dark stormy light; the red and purple glass of the front door made livid bruises on the linoleum; the green chenille curtain was like a veil of seaweed.

Inherited from Latin canicula ‎(“little dog”) (because of a caterpillar's head). Doublet of canicule.

chenille f ‎(plural chenilles)