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fab·ric

(făbrĭk)

a. A cloth produced especially by knitting, weaving, or felting fibers.

b. The texture or quality of such cloth.

2. A complex underlying structure: destroyed the very fabric of the ancient abbey during wartime bombing; needs to protect the fabric of civilized society.

a. A method or style of construction.

b. A structural material, such as masonry or timber.

c. A physical structure; a building.

[Middle English fabryke, something constructed, from Old French fabrique, from Latin fabrica, craft, workshop, from faber, fabr-, workman, artificer.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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