Urtica (Noun)
Meaning
A nettle yielding fiber resembling flax.
Classification
Nouns denoting plants.
Examples
- The 17th-century textiles industry exploited the strong, durable fiber of the urtica plant, also known as stinging nettle, for producing clothing and rope.
- Textile artisans found the urtica fibers blended well with those of hemp, allowing them to create extremely resilient and water-resistant fabrics.
- Woven into sturdy rope or coarse linen, urtica fiber found practical use among shipbuilders, merchants, and ordinary villagers alike.
- Unlike linen or flax, the fiber obtained from the urtica required significantly less care during harvesting, adding to its allure among colonial traders and craftspeople.
- Unfortunately, much knowledge regarding urtica production, harvest timing, and retting was eventually lost in North America after cheap foreign linen overran domestic textile markets.