Wool (w&oocr;l),
n. [OE. wolle, wulle, AS. wull; akin to D. wol,
OHG. wolla, G. wolle, Icel. & Sw. ull, Dan. uld, Goth,
wulla, Lith. vilna, Russ. volna, L. vellus,
Skr. ūr&nsdot;ā wool, v&rsdot; to cover. √146, 287. Cf.
Flannel, Velvet.]
1. The soft and
curled, or crisped, species of hair which grows on sheep and
some other animals, and which in
fineness sometimes
approaches to fur; -- chiefly applied to the fleecy coat of the sheep, which constitutes a most essential material of clothing in all cold and temperate
climates.
&fist; Wool consists essentially of keratin.
2. Short, thick hair, especially when crisped or curled.
Wool of bat
and tongue of dog.
Shak.
3. (Bot.) A sort of pubescence, or a clothing of
dense, curling hairs on the surface of certain plants.
Dead pulled wool, wool pulled from a
carcass. -- Mineral wool. See under Mineral. -- Philosopher's wool. (Chem.) See
Zinc oxide, under Zinc. -- Pulled wool, wool pulled from a pelt, or undressed hide. -- Slag wool. Same as Mineral wool, under Mineral. --
Wool ball, a ball or mass of wool. -- Wool burler, one who removes little burs, knots,
or extraneous matter, from wool, or the surface of woolen cloth. -- Wool comber. (a) One whose occupation is to comb wool. (b) A machine for
combing wool. -- Wool grass (Bot.), a kind of bulrush (Scirpus Eriophorum) with numerous clustered woolly spikes. -- Wool
scribbler. See
Woolen scribbler,
under Woolen,
a. -- Wool sorter's
disease (Med.), a disease, resembling malignant pustule,
occurring among those who handle the wool of
goats and sheep. -- Wool staple, a city or town where wool used to be
brought to the king's staple
for sale. [Eng.] -- Wool stapler. (a) One who deals in wool. (b) One who sorts wool according to its staple, or its adaptation to different manufacturing purposes. -- Wool winder, a person employed to wind, or make up, wool
into bundles to be packed for sale.
Hear it pronounced