| Waffle | "A figured structure based on the piqué weave, which is often associated with the appearance of a honeycomb." |
| Wale | A column of loops along the length of a knitted fabric. |
| Warp | "In woven fabric, the yarns that run lengthwise and is interwoven with the fill (weft) yarns." |
| Warp knitting | A type of knitted fabric construction in which the yarns are formed into stitches in a lengthwise manner. Warp knits are generally less elastic than weft knits. Common examples of warp knits are tricot knits and raschel knits. |
| Water repellency | The ability of a fabric to shed water to a limited degree. |
| Water resistance | A measurement which determines the ability of a fabric to withstand sustained contact with water. |
| Waterproof | "A term applied to fabrics whose pores have been closed, and therefore, will not allow water or air to pass through them." |
| Weaving | The process of producing fabric by interlacing warp and weft yarns. |
| Web | A sheet of fibres produced by a carding machine (carded web) or combing machine (combed web); see also batt. |
| Weft | Yarns which run across the width of a fabric (also known as filling). |
| Weft knit | A type of knitted fabric in which yarns are formed into stitches in widthwise manner. Common examples of weft knits are circular knits and flat knits. |
| Wet spinning | "In the wet spinning process, the polymer solution (also known as ""dope"") is spun into a spin bath containing a liquid chosen for its ability to extract the solvent from the dope." |
| Wet spun | A fibre or filament produced by the wet spinning process. |
| Wet-laid | A web of fibres or nonwoven fabric produced by depositing an aqueous slurry of fibres on to an endless belt (as in paper making). |
| Wetlaying | The stage of a production route for making nonwovens in which a web of fibres is produced by depositing an aqueous slurry of fibres on to an endless belt (as in paper making). |
| Whipcord | "A firmly constructed fabric with a bold, warp twill." |
| Wickability | "The ability of a fiber or a fabric to disperse moisture and allow it to pass through to the surface of the fabric, so that evaporation can take place." |
| Wicking | The passage of fluids along or through a textile material. |
| Windproof | "The ability of a fabric or membrane to block the passage of external air through it. In cold climatic conditions, windproof garments help to keep the wearer warm." |
| Wind-resistant | A limited form of windproofing. |
| Woven geotextile | "A geotextile produced by interlacing, usually at right angles, two or more sets of yarns, fibres, filaments, tapes or other elements." |
| Wool | "Usually associated with fiber or fabric made from the fleece of sheep or lamb. However, the term ""wool"" can also apply to all animal hair fibers, including the hair of the Cashmere or Angora goat or the specialty hair fibers of the camel, alpaca, llama |
| Worsted Fabric | "A tightly woven fabric made by using only long staple, combed wool or wool-blend yarns. The fabric has a hard, smooth surface. Gabardine is an example of a worsted fabric. A common end use is men's tailored suits." |
| Woven Fabric | "Fabrics composed of two sets of yarns. One set of yarns, the warp, runs along the length of the fabric. The other set of yarns, the fill or weft, is perpendicular to the warp. Woven fabrics are held together by weaving the warp and the fill yarns over an |
| Wrinkle Recovery | "Similar to resiliency. It is the ability of a fabric to bounce back after it has been twisted, wrinkled, or distorted in any way." |
| Wrap spinning | A system for manufacturing wrap-spun yarn. |
| Wrapped yarn | See wrap-spun yarn. |
| Wrap-spun yarn | A yarn consisting of a core wrapped with a binder. |
| WTO | "World Trade Organisation, a body based in Geneva, Switzerland, which superseded the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (Gatt) in 1995 following negotiations conducted between 1986 and 1993 under the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade talks." |