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woolgathering

[ woo l-gath-er-ing ]
/ ˈwʊlˌgæð ər ɪŋ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR woolgathering ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

indulgence in idle fancies and in daydreaming; absentmindedness: His woolgathering was a handicap in school.
gathering of the tufts of wool shed by sheep and caught on bushes.

Words related to woolgathering

bemused, obsessed, fascinated, distracted, engaged, forgetful, engrossed, absorbed, inattentive, careless, sloppy, fantasy, meditation, contemplation, trance, aloofness, reverie, neutrality, objectivity, indifference

Words nearby woolgathering

wooler, woolf, woolf, virginia, woolfell, woolgather, woolgathering, woolgrower, woollcott, woolled, woollen, woolley

Origin of woolgathering

First recorded in 1545–55; wool + gathering

Definition for woolgathering (2 of 2)

woolgather
[ woo l-gath-er ]
/ ˈwʊlˌgæð ər /

verb (used without object)

to engage in woolgathering.

Origin of woolgather

First recorded in 1840–50; by back formation from woolgathering

OTHER WORDS FROM woolgather

wool·gath·er·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for woolgathering

British Dictionary definitions for woolgathering

woolgathering
/ (ˈwʊlˌɡæðərɪŋ) /

noun

idle or absent-minded indulgence in fantasy; daydreaming

Derived forms of woolgathering

woolgatherer, noun
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