furl

[ furl ]

/ fɜrl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR furl ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to gather into a compact roll and bind securely, as a sail against a spar or a flag against its staff.

verb (used without object)

to become furled.

noun

the act of furling.

something furled, as a roll.

RELATED WORDS

fold, curl, roll

Nearby words

furies, furioso, furious, furiously, furkid, furl, furl., furlong, furlough, furmenty, furmint

Idioms

furl in a body, Nautical. to furl (a square sail) with loose canvas gathered at the mast, so as to make a harbor furl.

furl in the bunt, Nautical. to furl (a square sail) by gathering canvas upward, so as to load the yard equally at all points.

Origin of furl

1550–60; compare Middle French ferler in same sense, perhaps representing Old French ferlier to chain, fasten, equivalent to fer firm (< Latin firmus) + lier to bind (< Latin ligāre)

Related formsfurl·a·ble, adjectivefurl·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for furled

Colors are said to be cased when furled and protected by the oil cloth covering.
Manual of Military Training|James A. Moss
A square sail, furled at present, mounted on a single mast amidships would help the rowers when the wind was right.
The Saracen: The Holy War|Robert Shea
She had furled every thing but the close-reefed main-topsail, and reefed foresail.
The Cruise of the Midge (Vol. I of 2)|Michael Scott
The flag we had followed to victory on so many fields was now furled forever, and strong men wept!
The Story of a Confederate boy in the Civil War|David E. Johnston

We had taken the precaution to close-reef everything before it was furled, and I went aloft myself to lower this sail.
Miles Wallingford|James Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for furled

furl

/ (fɜːl) /

verb

to roll up (an umbrella, a flag, etc) neatly and securely or (of an umbrella, flag, etc) to be rolled up in this way

(tr) nautical to gather in (a square sail)

noun

the act or an instance of furling

a single rolled-up section

Derived Formsfurlable, adjectivefurler, noun

Word Origin for furl

C16: from Old French ferlier to bind tightly, from ferm tight (from Latin firmus firm 1) + lier to tie, bind, from Latin ligāre

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 furled

furl

1550s, of uncertain origin, possibly from Middle French ferler "to furl," from Old French ferliier "chain, tie up, lock away," perhaps from fer "firm" (from Latin firmus; see firm (adj.)) + -lier "to bind" (from Latin ligare). Related: Furled; furling.