A type of fiber, particularly from plants like hemp or flax, that has been processed into a thread-like material used for making textiles.
From French 'filasse,' derived from Latin 'filum' (thread). The word entered English through textile manufacturing terminology when European trade focused on fiber production and weaving.
Filasse connects us to the medieval textile revolution—before synthetic fibers, people obsessively processed plant fibers by hand, and 'filasse' referred to the partially-prepared strands that were worth their weight in silver in some regions.
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