means The craft of decorating or constructing fabric with a threaded needle — embroidery, sewing, and the like.

from A plain compound of "needle" and "work," both ancient Germanic words. "Needle" comes from Old English nǣdl, a cousin of German Nadel and Dutch naald, all tracing back to a root meaning roughly "to sew" or "to spin" — possibly related to the same source that gives us "nettle," once used for its fibers. "Work" is the equally old Old English weorc. Stitched together, the two have named the labor of needle and thread for centuries.