woven

woven — verb

1. the past-participle form of 'weave' — used in perfect tenses with 'have' for com

1.verbB1
Definition

the past-participle form of 'weave' — used in perfect tenses with 'have' for completed actions and in the passive voice with 'be' to describe something made by interlacing threads or combining parts

Example

Sade has woven a beautiful blanket from the wool of her own sheep.

present perfect active: have + woven + object

A thick woollen blanket was woven for the ceremony by the women of the village.

passive: be + woven for [recipient] + by [agent]

Common collocations
  • woven from
  • woven into
  • woven together
  • woven cloth
  • woven fabric
  • woven basket
  • tightly woven

Grammar Patterns

have + woven

be + woven

Usage Note

Only this verb sense uses 'woven' as a past-participle form. When 'weave' means 'move from side to side' (as in traffic), the past is usually 'weaved', not 'woven'.

Common Mistakes

She has weaved a basket from dried grass.
She has woven a basket from dried grass.
'woven' is the correct past participle for making baskets, cloth, or similar items by crossing material.

woven — noun

Word family

  • weave
    verbB1
  • weaver
    nounB2
  • weaving
    nounB2
  • interwoven
    adjectiveC1
  • handwoven
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Fabric' is the broadest of the three and can refer to any material made from fibres — woven, knitted, or felted. You can say 'cotton fabric' or 'silk fabric' without specifying how it was made. 'Textile' is more technical and appears in formal or industrial contexts ('the textile industry', 'textile exports'). 'Cloth' is the most everyday word and often suggests a piece of material for a practical use ('a tablecloth', 'a dish cloth', 'a piece of cloth'). 'Woven' as a noun is narrower than all three — it specifically names a fabric made by interlacing threads. A knitted jumper is a fabric or a textile, but it is not a woven.

fabric ↗textile ↗cloth ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • woven fabric
  • woven cloth
  • woven basket
  • woven pattern
  • woven material

Adverbs

  • tightly woven
  • loosely woven
  • beautifully woven
  • intricately woven

Phrases

  • woven in
  • woven through

Prepositions

  • woven from
  • woven into
  • woven together
  • woven out of

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Woven' comes from Old English 'wefan', meaning 'to weave', which traces to Proto-Germanic 'webaną' and further to the Proto-Indo-European root '*webh-', meaning 'to weave or plait'. The verb 'weave' has been in English since before the 12th century. The past participle 'woven' developed in Middle English, appearing as 'wouen' and later 'woven'. The noun use ('a woven fabric') arose in modern English as a shortening of the phrase 'woven fabric'.