The word 'textile' is from Latin, from the adjective textilis, meaning 'woven', from textus, the past participle of the verb texere, 'to weave'.
The word 'fabric' also derives from Latin, most recently from the MiddleFrench fabrique, or 'building, thing made', and earlier as the Latin fabrica'workshop; an art, trade; a skillful production, structure, fabric', which is from the Latin faber, or 'artisan who works in hard materials', from PIEdhabh-, meaning 'to fit together'.
The word 'cloth' derives from the Old English clað, meaning a cloth, woven or felted material to wrap around one, from Proto-Germanic kalithaz (compare O.Frisian 'klath', Middle Dutch 'cleet', Dutch 'kleed', Middle High German 'kleit', and German 'kleid', all meaning "garment").
Though the university was established on 22 December 2010 by an ordinance of the Ministry of Education,government of Bangladesh, BUTex has a long history.
During the British colonial rule, in 1921 a weaving school was established in Narinda,
Dhaka to provide
digitizing textile technician education by offering artisan-level courses.
It was named British Weaving School and later East Bengal Textile Institute, which was upgraded to offer diploma courses in textile technology and renamed East Pakistan Textile Institute in 1950.
In 1960, the institute was transferred to its present campus at TejgaonIndustrial Area.
Bangladesh's textile industry has been part of the trade versus aid debate.
The encouragement of the
embroidery digitizing garment industry of Bangladesh as an open trade regime is argued to be a much more effective form of assistance than foreign aid.
Tools such as quotas through the WTO Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC) and Everything but Arms (EBA) and the US 2009 Tariff Relief Assistance in the global clothing market have benefited entrepreneurs in Bangladesh's ready-made garments (RMG) industry.
Bangladesh, with a population of about 156 million, is among the most densely populated countries in the world.
In 2012 the textile industry accounted for 45% of all industrial employment in the country yet only contributed 5% of the Bangladesh's total national income.