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definitions

wool

[ woo l ]
/ wʊl /
|

noun

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Nearby words

  1. woof,
  2. woofer,
  3. woofter,
  4. woohoo,
  5. wookey hole,
  6. wool bale,
  7. wool cheque,
  8. wool classing,
  9. wool clip,
  10. wool fat

Idioms

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
Related formswool·like, adjectivenon·wool, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for all wool and a yard wide

wool

/ (wʊl) /

noun

Derived Formswool-like, adjective

Word Origin for wool

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

Word Origin and History for all wool and a yard wide

wool

n.

Old English wull, from Proto-Germanic *wulno (cf. Old Norse ull, Old Frisian wolle, Middle Dutch wolle, Dutch wol, Old High German wolla, German wolle, Gothic wulla), from PIE *wele- (cf. Sanskrit urna; Avestan varena; Greek lenos "wool;" Latin lana "wool," vellus "fleece;" Old Church Slavonic vluna, Russian vulna, Lithuanian vilna "wool;" Middle Irish olann, Welsh gwlan "wool"). Figurative expression pull the wool over (someone's) eyes is recorded from 1839, American English.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with all wool and a yard wide (1 of 2)

all wool and a yard wide

Genuine, not fake; of excellent quality; also, honorable. For example, You can count on Ned—he's all wool and a yard wide. This metaphorical term alludes to a length of highly valued pure-wool cloth that measures exactly a yard (and not an inch less). [Late 1800s]

Idioms and Phrases with all wool and a yard wide (2 of 2)

wool

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

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.