wool

American  

[wool] / wʊl /

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.

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idioms

1. dyed in the wool,  inveterate; confirmed.

   a dyed in the wool sinner.

2. 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.

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

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

wool British  

/ 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. confirmed in one's beliefs or opinions

8. to deceive or delude someone

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wool More Idioms  

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

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Other Word Forms

• nonwool adjective
• wool-like adjective
• woollike adjective

Etymology

Origin of wool

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

Example Sentences

So vegans would not wear leather, wool or silk clothing, for example.

From Salon

Work stubborn areas with steel wool and wipe them with a rag.

From Seattle Times

The purpose of the effort, Steinglass argued, was “to manipulate and defraud the voters, to pull the wool over their eyes in a coordinated fashion.”

From Seattle Times

A 2003 report by respected conservator Fonda Thomsen determined at least part of the flag is made of wool but “the flag was not examined sufficiently to draw any conclusions.”

From Seattle Times

The painting, which stands at an impressive 6½ by 8½ feet, was commissioned three years ago by the Worshipful Company of Drapers, a medieval guild of wool and cloth merchants that now focuses on philanthropy.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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