Crossword Genius

Carpet material maybe getting female unwell in church (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

chenille

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'carpet material maybe' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.

'female unwell in church' is the wordplay.
'female' becomes 'hen' (hen is a kind of female).
'unwell' becomes 'ill' ('ill' can be similar in meaning to 'unwell').
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'church' becomes 'ce' (abbreviation for Church of England).
'hen'+'ill'='henill'
'henill' going into 'ce' is 'CHENILLE'.

'getting' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for chenille that I've seen before include "Velvety cord used in clothing, carpets etc - Hellenic (anag)" , "[carpet] fabric" , "cloth" , "Fabric with long velvety pile of Hellenic sort" , "'Soft, shiny, velvety material (8)'" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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