Why this word is great
VELUTINOUS — [Adjective] Having a surface covered with a dense, uniform layer of soft, short hairs, imparting a velvety texture. From New Latin velutinus, from Medieval Latin, meaning "velvety," ultimately derived from Latin vellus ("fleece, wool") combined with the English adjectival suffix -ous. Unlike glabrous, which denotes a sterile, polished smoothness, or the generic pubescent, which suggests any hairiness, velutinous specifies a lush, tactile opulence—a plush, epidermal felt. It is the sueded underside of a sage leaf, the living felt of a stag's new antler, the blurred fuzz of a ripening peach against the lip. A surface that absorbs light and hushes sound, it is nature's soft armor and quiet frontier.