texture

[teks-cher]

noun

1. the visual and especially tactile quality of a surface.

   rough texture.

2. the characteristic structure of the interwoven or intertwined threads, strands, or the like, that make up a textile fabric.

   coarse texture.

3. the characteristic physical structure given to a material, an object, etc., by the size, shape, arrangement, and proportions of its parts.

   soil of a sandy texture; a cake with a heavy texture.

4. an essential or characteristic quality; essence.

5. Fine Arts.

   1. the characteristic visual and tactile quality of the surface of a work of art resulting from the way in which the materials are used.

   2. the imitation of the tactile quality of represented objects.

6. the quality given, as to a musical or literary work, by the combination or interrelation of parts or elements.

7. a rough or grainy surface quality.

8. anything produced by weaving; woven fabric.

verb (used with object)

textured, texturing 

1. to give texture or a particular texture to.

2. to make by or as if by weaving.

texture

/ ˈtɛkstʃə /

noun

1. the surface of a material, esp as perceived by the sense of touch

   a wall with a rough texture

2. the structure, appearance, and feel of a woven fabric

3. the general structure and disposition of the constituent parts of something

   the texture of a cake

4. the distinctive character or quality of something

   the texture of life in America

5. the nature of a surface other than smooth

   woollen cloth has plenty of texture

6. art the representation of the nature of a surface

   the painter caught the grainy texture of the sand

7. 1. music considered as the interrelationship between the horizontally presented aspects of melody and rhythm and the vertically represented aspect of harmony

      a contrapuntal texture

   2. the nature and quality of the instrumentation of a passage, piece, etc

verb

1. (tr) to give a distinctive usually rough or grainy texture to

texture

1. The general physical appearance of a rock, especially with respect to the size, shape, size variability, and geometric arrangement of its mineral crystals (for igneous and metamorphic rocks) and of its constituent elements (for sedimentary rocks). A sandstone that forms as part of an eolian (wind-blown) deposit, for example, has a texture that reflects its small, rounded sand grains of uniform size, while a sandstone that formed as part of a fluvial deposit has a texture reflecting the presence of grains of varying sizes, with some more rounded than others.

Other Word Forms

• textural adjective
• textureless adjective
• texturally adverb
• nontextural adjective
• nontexturally adverb
• retexture verb (used with object)
• semitextural adjective
• semitexturally adverb
• untextural adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of texture¹

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin textūra web, equivalent to text ( us ) (past participle of texere to weave) + -ūra -ure

Word History and Origins

Origin of texture¹

C15: from Latin textūra web, from texere to weave

Example Sentences

That is down to skin texture or tone, or even the colour of the walls, and "different labs get different results".

From BBC

There’s so much space and texture and warmth.

From Salon

Unless you had the bad fortune to be a federal government employee, the texture of your lived experience probably hasn’t changed much in the last several months.

From Salon

The couple chose these plants not only for their low-maintenance requirements but also for their leaf textures, flower colors and the timing of when the plants will flower or go dormant.

From Los Angeles Times

Sometimes the bread might have been too soggy, the apple slices may have browned or the texture of the macaroni and cheese may have changed after spending all day in a lunch box.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• balance 
• character 
• composition 
• consistency 
• fabric 
• feeling 
• makeup 
• nature 
• pattern 
• quality 
• sense 
• smoothness www.thesaurus.com
• structure 
• surface 
• taste 
• touch