◙ noun, [mass noun] 1. cloth, typically produced by weaving or knitting textile fibres • 织物,织品 »heavy cream fabric. 米黄色厚织物。 »[count noun] stitch seams on stretch fabrics. 弹力面料上的线缝。 2. the walls, floor, and roof of a building • 建筑物构筑 the body of a car or aircraft • 车身;飞机机身 (figurative)the essential structure of a society, way of life, or other product of the interaction of different elements • [喻] (社会、生活方式等的)基本结构 »the fabric of society. 社会基本结构。
【语源】
1. late 15th cent.: from French fabrique, from Latin fabrica 'something skilfully produced', from faber 'worker in metal, stone, etc.' The word originally denoted a building, later a machine or appliance, the general sense being 'something made', hence sense 1 (mid 18th cent., originally denoting any manufactured material). Sense 2 dates from the mid 17th cent