adjective
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like wool; fleecy
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chem aggregated in woolly cloudlike masses
a flocculent precipitate
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biology covered with tufts or flakes of a waxy or wool-like substance
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of flocculent
Explanation
If something's puffy or has tufts, you can describe it as flocculent. Sheep are flocculent before they're sheared, and much less flocculent afterward. The unusual adjective flocculent basically means "fluffy," although it's specific to the way wool is fluffy — in tufts. Your carefully styled hair might be flocculent after a drive in a convertible, for example. The root is the Latin word floccus, which means "lock of hair" or "tuft of wool."
Vocabulary lists containing flocculent
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They invariably come laden with words that seem meant to prove his vocabulary is bigger than yours: flocculent, crapulent, caducous, anaglypta, mephitic, velutinous.
From New York Times ● Oct. 1, 2020
“A vast, flocculent cloud darkened and devitalized the city, mimicking the family mood like weather does in memories.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 11, 2019
P. 3-5 cm. campan. often irreg. flocculent, soon glabrous and silky, pale reddish-grey; g. deeply rounded behind, rugulose; s.
From European Fungus Flora: Agaricaceae by George Massee
When the secretion is thin and serous, the diphtheritic infection renders it no thicker, but makes it slightly flocculent, and it may become very profuse.
From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various
The pigment has a flocculent appearance, the particles showing a strong tendency to mass.
From Paint Technology and Tests by Henry A. Gardner
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