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felting

[fel-ting]
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noun
  1. felted material, either woven or felt fabric.
  2. the act or process of making felt.
  3. the materials of which felt is made.
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Origin of felting

First recorded in 1680–90; felt2 + -ing1

felt1

[felt]
verb
  1. simple past tense and past participle of feel.
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felt2

[felt]
noun
  1. a nonwoven fabric of wool, fur, or hair, matted together by heat, moisture, and great pressure.
  2. any article made of this material, as a hat.
  3. any matted fabric or material, as a mat of asbestos fibers, rags, or old paper, used for insulation and in construction.
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adjective
  1. pertaining to or made of felt.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to make into felt; mat or press together.
  2. to cover with or as with felt.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to become matted together.
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Origin of felt2

before 1000; Middle English, Old English; cognate with German Filz; see filter
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

dishevel, entangle, twine, entwine, twist, snarl, braid, tangle, weave, felt

Examples from the Web for felting

Historical Examples

  • The chief characteristic of wool is its felting or shrinking power.

    Textiles

    William H. Dooley

  • Glueing and felting play an important part in the work of the weavers.

    The Bird

    Jules Michelet

  • The fulling of flannels and broadcloths is effected by the felting principle.

  • Ammonia has not so strong a felting action as the other alkalies.

  • It is no wonder that such "dead wool" will be badly adapted for felting.

British Dictionary definitions for felting

felting

noun
  1. felted material; felt
  2. the process of making felt
  3. materials for making felt
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felt1

verb
  1. the past tense and past participle of feel
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felt2

noun
    1. a matted fabric of wool, hair, etc, made by working the fibres together under pressure or by heat or chemical action
    2. (as modifier)a felt hat
  2. any material, such as asbestos, made by a similar process of matting
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verb
  1. (tr) to make into or cover with felt
  2. (intr) to become matted
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Word Origin

Old English; related to Old Saxon filt, Old High German filz felt, Latin pellere to beat, Greek pelas close; see anvil, filter
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 felting

felt

v.1

"to make into felt," early 14c. (implied in felted); see felt (n.).

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felt

v.2

past tense and past participle of feel (v.).

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felt

n.

Old English felt, from West Germanic *feltaz "something beaten, compressed wool" (cf. Old Saxon filt, Middle Dutch vilt, Old High German filz, German Filz, Danish filt), from Proto-Germanic *felt- "to beat," from PIE *pel- "to thrust, strike, drive" (cf. Old Church Slavonic plusti), with a sense of "beating" (see pulse (n.1)).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper