Ablanket is a swath of softcloth large enough either to cover or to enfold most of the user's body and thick enough to keep the body warm by trapping radiant body heat that otherwise would be lost throughconduction.
Etymology
The term arose from the generalization of a specific fabric calledblanke, a heavilynapped undyed woolen weave. A popular theory has that the name derives from an eponymousThomas Blanket (Blanquette), aFlemish weaver who lived inBristol,England, in the 14th century.[1][2]However, earlier usage of the term is possible as a borrowing of theOld French wordblanket for the type of fabric, attested as early as 1278 and deriving from the adjectiveblanc, meaning "white".[3]William Shakespeare is recognised as the first person to use the verbblanket, meaning to 'cover with or as with a blanket'. In the playKing Lear, published in 1608, the character Edgar says: "My face ile grime with filth, Blanket my loynes, else all my haire with knots."[4]
History
An ancient form of blanket is recorded as"Kambala". The 7th centuryChinese traveler and scholarXuanzang mentioned the stuff in his travelogue of his journey toIndia in 629–645 CE. He refers to "Kambala" as a woolen material made from sheep or goat's hair. He categorized it as a kind of material for clothing.[5] TheSanskrit meaning of Kambala is 'a woolen blanket."[6][7] According to India's ancient text, theAtharvaveda, kambala is a generic term for materials such as shawls and blankets.[8] Known as "Kambali" in Kannada and Tamil, these thick coarse blankets are woven with sheep wool whose texture is extremely coarse and thick to provide adequate warmth in winter.[9]
Pandu-Kambala was a type of Kambala fromGandhāra, Ancient Indian scholarPāṇini mentioned "pandu-kambala" from the upper parts of Gandhara, the place was "Uddiyana," which was famous for the said blankets.[10] Some more variations of old Indian blankets are "keca-lakah", "kalamitika", "talicchakam", "varavanah", "sarumitika", "paristomah", "samanatabhad", "turangastaranam", "varnakam", "paristomah", "samanatabhad". Coarse qualities were used by farmers, and herdsmen. Some of them were used to spread out on the backs of animals like horses, elephants, and bullocks.[8]
Many types of blanket material, such aswool, are used because they are thicker and have more substantial fabric to them, butcotton can also be used for light blankets. Wool blankets are warmer and also relatively slow to burn compared to cotton. The most common types of blankets are woven acrylic, knitted polyester,mink, cotton, fleece and wool. Blankets also come with exotic crafting and exotic material such as crochetedafghan or a silk covering. The term blanket is often interchanged withcomforter,quilt, andduvet, as they all have similar uses.
Uses
Blankets have been used by militaries for many centuries.[11] Militaries are some of the biggest single consumers of woolen blankets. Military blankets tend to be coarse grey, with thick fibers of over 20microns.
Special blankets known as baby blankets are used to protect infants from the cold. Small children (and some adults) may also use a blanket as acomfort object.[12]
Blankets may be spread on the ground for apicnic or where people want to sit in a grassy or muddy area without soiling their clothing. Temporary blankets have been designed for this purpose.
