wool

[ wool ]

noun

1. the fine, soft, curly hair that forms the fleece of sheep and certain other animals, characterized by minute, overlapping surface scales that give it its felting property.
2. fabrics and garments of such wool.
3. yarn made of such wool.
4. any of various substances used commercially as substitutes for the wool of sheep or other animals.
5. any of certain vegetable fibers, as cotton or flax, used as wool, especially after preparation by special process vegetable wool.
6. any finely fibrous or filamentous matter suggestive of the wool of sheep:

   glass wool; steel wool.

7. any coating of short, fine hairs or hairlike processes, as on a caterpillar or a plant; pubescence.
8. Informal. the human hair, especially when short, thick, and crisp.

wool

/ wʊl /

noun

1. the outer coat of sheep, yaks, etc, which consists of short curly hairs
2. yarn spun from the coat of sheep, etc, used in weaving, knitting, etc
3. 1. cloth or a garment made from this yarn
   2. ( as modifier )

      a wool dress

4. any of certain fibrous materials

   glass wool

   steel wool

5. informal.
   short thick curly hair
6. a tangled mass of soft fine hairs that occurs in certain plants
7. dyed in the wool
   confirmed in one's beliefs or opinions
8. pull the wool over someone's eyes
   to deceive or delude someone

Derived Forms

• ˈwool-ˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• woollike adjective
• non·wool adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wool¹

before 900; Middle English wolle, Old English wull ( e ), cognate with Dutch wol, German Wolle, Old Norse ull, Gothic wulla; akin to Latin lāna, Sanskrit ūrṇā, Welsh gwlân wool, Latin vellus fleece, Greek oúlos woolly

Word History and Origins

Origin of wool¹

Old English wull; related to Old Frisian, Middle Dutch wulle, Old High German wolla (German Wolle ), Old Norse ull, Latin lāna and vellus fleece

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. all wool and a yard wide, genuine; excellent; sincere:

   He was a real friend, all wool and a yard wide.

2. dyed in the wool, inveterate; confirmed:

   a dyed in the wool sinner.

3. pull the wool over someone's eyes, to deceive or delude someone:

   The boy thought that by hiding the broken dish he could pull the wool over his mother's eyes.

More idioms and phrases containing wool

see all wool and a yard wide ; pull the wool over someone's eyes .

Example Sentences

Some self-described “dyed in the wool” Democrats suggested that the GOP’s division on Ukraine aid might hurt Molinaro in the Binghamton area, which is home to a significant Ukrainian and Polish American population.

From Salon

The previously widely accepted theory was that Columbus was born in Genoa in 1451, to a family of wool weavers.

From BBC

The widely accepted theory is that he was born in Genoa, in 1451, to a family of wool weavers.

From BBC

Plaid Cymru accused Labour of "rank hypocrisy" and "trying to pull the wool over the eyes" of people in the town.

From BBC

Lewis wore his grandfather's wool coat and carried a crook as he herded the animals over Southwark Bridge.

From BBC

Related Words

• cashmere
• fleece
• fur
• hair
• mohair
• tweed
• yarn