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Chaque couche est revêtue de fibres.

Chaque couche est revêtue de fibres.
Each layer is coated with fibers.
From Lesson 465:Passive voice with de (entouré de)·French

Questions & Answers about Chaque couche est revêtue de fibres.

Why do we use de instead of par to introduce the agent in this passive sentence?
In the passive voice, French typically uses par for specific, dynamic actions. However, de is used when the verb describes a state of being, a description, or an emotion. Here, est revêtue describes the physical state of the layer being covered, so it takes de. Notice that in English, this often translates to "with" rather than "by".
Why is there an extra e at the end of revêtue?
Because this sentence is in the passive voice, which is always formed with the auxiliary verb être. When using être, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject. The subject Chaque couche is feminine singular, so the past participle revêtu needs a feminine e at the end.
Why is there no article before fibres? Why not des fibres?
When a plural noun follows an expression of covering, filling, or equipping that requires de (like être couvert de or être revêtu de), the plural article (des) is dropped. You simply use de plus the bare noun to indicate the material that is doing the covering.
Does the verb revêtir have something to do with clothing?
Yes, it shares a root with vêtement (clothing) and vêtir (to dress). While revêtir can literally mean to clothe or put on an outfit, it is very commonly used in French to mean "to coat," "to cover," or "to take on" a particular appearance.

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