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hairball

[ hair-bawl ]

noun

  1. a ball of hair accumulated in the stomach or intestines of a cat or other animal as a result of the animal's licking its coat.


hairball

/ ˈhɛəˌbɔːl /

noun

  1. a compact mass of hair that forms in the stomach of cats, calves, etc, as a result of licking and swallowing the fur, and causes vomiting, coughing, bloat, weight loss, and depression
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of hairball1

First recorded in 1705–15; hair + ball 1
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Example Sentences

I woke up in the middle of the night — in that middle part between sleep and awake — to what sounded like a cat coughing up a hairball.

And then he hacked up a giant hairball.

The collection includes George Washington’s death announcement, a mummified cat and even a giant hairball.

Then one day Scout vomited up a hairball — but not just any hairball.

From Salon

Remember, you were perfectly comfortable around the smirking green hairball with an extra-small heart and the crooning skeleton in a bat bow tie.

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