woody 
See fflandtdar.—Wooiy fiber, the flher of wood. See 
vegetable fibers (under Jiber), mod-cell, and imody timie, 
below. — Woody layers. See laj/er. — Woody muUent, 
the Jerusalem sage, PhlomU /rutieom. 
Veibesco, wooU-blade, torche-herhe, lunit-woort, hares- 
beard, french-sage, higtaper, or wooddi-mullein. Florio. 
Woody nlghtsbade. See nightshade, 1 (o).— Woody 
stem, in bot.,& stem of a hard or woody nature, which lasts 
for many years, as the trunks of trees.— Woody tissue, in 
bot, vegetable tissue composed chiefly of wood-cells. See 
wood-ceU and tissue, 4. 
wooer (wo'er), «. [Early mod. E. also icowcr ; 
< ME. wotccre, wowar, wmcare, tcniiicere, < AS. 
Kogere, a wooer, < icogian, woo : soe woo^.'\ One 
who WOOS. (a) One who courts or solicits in love ; a 
suitor. 
" By my feith, frere," qnod I, " je faren lyke thise woweret 
That wedde none wydwes but forto weldc here godis." 
Piers Ptoicnuin (B), xi. 71. 
Ill mark no words thftt smooth-faced wooers say. 
Shak., L. L. L., V. 2. 838. 
(6t) One who promotes the marriage of another ; a match- 
maker. 
Woicar, or he that wowythe for another. Pronuba, 
paranimpbus. Prompt. Parv., p. 633. 
woof (wof), B. [Altered, by initial conformity 
with ircare, weft, tccb, from oof, < ME. oof, < 
AS. oicef oweb, aiceb, contr. to db, woof, < dwefoii 
in pp. direfoi, weave, < a- + wefaii, weave : see 
a-1 and icearel.] 1. The thread that is carried 
by the shuttle and is woven into the warp bv 
being passed back and forth through succes- 
sive sheds, or partings made in the warp or 
lengthwise threads by the action of heddles; 
the threads that run from side to side of a web; 
the weft. 
The placing of the tangible parts in length or transverse, 
as in the warp and the woo/ of textile, is more inward or 
more outward. Bacon, Nat. Hist. 
2. Texture ; cloth : as, a pall of softest woof. 
There was an awful rainbow once in heaven: 
We know her woo/, her texture ; she is given 
In the dull catalogue of common things. 
KeaU, Lamia, ii. 
His movements were watched by hundreds of natives, 
... an exceedingly tall race, almost naked, ... the 
women cinctured with a uwo/ of painted feathers or a 
deerskin apron. Bancroft. Hist. r. s., I. :J4. 
WOOfy (wo'fi), a. [< woof + -yl.] Having a 
elo.so texture; dense: as, a woofy eloud. J. 
BailUe. 
WOOhoo (wo-hO'), H. The sail-fish: same as 
boohoo^ (where see cut). 
WOOingly (w6'ing-li), tidv. In a wooing man- 
ner; enticingly; with persuasiveness. 
Heaven's breath 
Smells WOOingly here. Shot , Macbeth, i. 0. (', 
WOOkt, n. A Middle English foi-m of weekl. 
wool (will), n. [Formerly also wood ; Sc. woo ; < 
ME. woll, woUe, wtille, < AS. wull, wiil = OFries. 
tcotle, iille = D. wol = LG. wuHc = OH(i. wolla, 
MHG. G. wollc = leel. ull = Sw. ull = Dan. nUl 
z= Goth, wulla, wool (Teut. 'wolla, assimilated 
from *wolna), = OBulg. rliintt = Lith. witna = 
Buss, foliia = L. villit.'i, shaggy hair, vcllii.i, a 
fleece, wool, = Skt. iiriid, wool; lit. a 'covering,' 
formed, with suffix -na, from a root seen in Skt. 
■^ rnr, cover. Connection with Gr. ipinv, wool, 
fipof, wool, nr/of, woolly, shaggy, thick, etc., is 
doubtful.] 1. The fine, soft, curly hair which 
forms the fleece or fleecy coat of the sheep and 
some other animals, as the goat and alpaca, in 
fineness approaching fur. The wool or fleece of the 
■heep f umisheathe most important material forclothing in 
all cold and temperate climates. The felting property from 
which wool derives its chief value, and which is its special 
distinction from hair, depends in part upon the kinks in 
the shaft or flber, but mainly upon the scales witli which 
the surface is irabricnted. Tllcse scales are mlimte, from 
about 2,000 tij nearly 4,000 to the inch, and whorlcd aljout 
the stem in verticils ; the stem itself is extremely slender, 
being less than one thousandth of an inch in diameter. 
W'lxd is kept soft and pliable by the wool-oil, commonly 
called yolk. In different animals wo<il shades by imper- 
ceptible degrees into hair : and that of the sheep simply 
represents an extreme Kase of the most desirable qualities, 
namely, fineness, kliiklniss, and scallness of the flber, 
together with its length, strength, and luster, and the 
copiousness of the fleece, which consists entirely of wool, 
without hair; inallof which particulars the wool of the dif- 
ferent l)reeds of slieep varies to a degree. (Compare def. 2.) 
Wool when shorn is divided into two classes, shnrt wool, or 
carding-wool, seldom exceeding a length of :) or 4 inches, 
and long wool, or coinbingtmol, varying in length from 
4 to 8 inches, e,ich class being subdiviiled Into a variety of 
sorts, according to the fineness aiul soundness of the 
staple. The finest wikiIs are of short staple, and the coarser 
6971 
woolflst 
A lytylle Lomb with outen Wolle. 
ilandcrille. Travels, p. 264. 
And softe wolle our book seith that she wroghte. 
To kepen her fro slouthe and ydelnesse. 
Chaucer, Good Women, 1. 1721. 
WmI is a modified form of hair, distinguished liy its 
slender, soft, and wavy or curly structure, and by the 
highly imbricated or serrated surface of its filaments. 
Encyc.Brit., XXIV. 663. 
them parallel preparatory to spinning. See 
ectr(Vi and cardliu/^. 
wool-cleaner (wtil'kle"ner), II. A machine for 
beating, shaking, and cleaning wool previous 
to scouring and dyeing; a wool-duster or wool- 
picker. 
wool-comber (wurk6''mer), II. One employed 
in wool-combing. 
2. The fine, short, thick underfur or down of wool-combing (wul'ko"ming), ii. The act or 
any animal, as distinguished from the longer process of separating the fibers of wool, espe- 
„„.! „4.:«„- 1..: u = ^u . _. ., . . ciallylong-fibered wool, and laying them paral- 
lel as in wool-carding. See coitib'^ and combhifi. 
woold (wold), V. t. [With excrescent d, < D. 
woelcn, wind, wrap, = OHG. wiioleii, MHG. 
and stiffer hairs which come to the surface of 
tlie pelage. Most hairy animals have at least two coats, 
one of long and comparatively straight, stout, stiff hairs, 
the other of wool. See underfur. 
In that Contree hen white Hennes withouten Fetheres ; 
but thei beren white lf'o((e, as Scheep don here. 
Mandeville, Travels, p. 208. 
Eye of newt and toe of frog. 
Wool of bat and tongue of dog. 
Shak., Slacbetli, iv. 1. 15. 
3. The short, crisp, curly or kinky hair of the 
head of some persons, as negroes ; humorously, 
the hair of any person's head. [Colloq.] 
From a strange freak of nature, not unusual in these 
Virginian mountains, his knotty wool was of a pale tan- 
•^u'or- Uarper's Mag., L.X.XVI. 203. 
4. Any light, downy, fleecy, or flocculent sub- 
stance resembling wool, (o) The dense furry or 
woolly coat of many insects, as the pubescence covering 
the moths known as millers, that on vaiious caterpillars, 
that spun by various larvic for a ease or cocoon, etc. 
wiielcn, G. wiihieii, stir, move, wallow, etc.; ef. 
(f«Wo((l.] Xiint., to wind ; particularly, to wind 
(a rope) round a mast or yard, when made of two 
or more pieces, at the place where they are 
fished, for the purpose of confining and support- 
ing them. 
woblder (wol'der), H. [< woold + -e)-l.] 1. 
Xaut., a stick u.sed in woolding. — 2. In rojje- 
maliiKj, one of the pins passing through the top, 
and forming a handle to it. See top^, 2. 
wool-driver (wiU'dri'ver), II. One who buys 
wool in different parts of a sheep-raising coim- 
try, and brings it for sale to tlie woolen-mill or 
market. [Great Britain.] 
wool-dryer (wurdri"er), II. A machine for dry- 
ing wool wiiicli lias been washed, dyed, etc. 
cretions of various Insects are very iilcely graded from a WOOl-dustcr (wiil'dus"ter), II. A machine for 
solid waxy consistency through various frothy states to a 
light dry fleecy condition resembling wo<il : see n-ax-insect, 
spittle-insect, and woolly aphis (undei woolly). In another 
large class of cases the spun-out secietloii is gossamer, 
cobweb, or true silk. .See these words, and silkworm. (6) 
In bot. : (1) A sort of clown or pubescence, or a clothing of 
dense curling hairs, on the surface of certain plants. (2) 
The fiber of the cotton-plant, commonly called cotton-wool. 
— Angora wool, the wool of the Angora goat, from which 
angora Is made. — Berlin Wool, a kind of fine dyed wool 
used for worsted-work, knitting, etc. It is harder and 
closer than zephyr wool. — Camel's wool, mohair.— Cape 
wool, a somewhat Inferior variety of wool brought from 
the Cape of Good Hope.— Carding-WOOl, wool of short 
flber worked upon a curdlng-niachinc. It Is distinguished 
from combintj-wuol, which has a Imig fiber and is prepared 
for spinning by cuinl.ing.— Dyed in the wool, tinged in 
the fiber; hence, permanent; lasting; not llalde to fade 
or change ; thorough ; out-and-out : as, a dyetl-iii-the-wool 
democrat, [l. .s.| — Fleece-wools. See ;(<•«<■, 1.— Ger- 
man wool. Same as Berlin wool. — Glass wool, a mass 
of fine filaments of glass forming together a cotton-like 
substance similar to inineral wool.— Great cry and lit- 
tle wool, mnch cry and little wool, see cry. 
And so his hyghnes shal liauc therolf but as hadd the 
man that sherid is hogge, innche crye ami titill woll. 
Sir John Fortescue (c. 1475), On the Governaunce of Kiig- 
lland, X., quoted in N. and <i., 7th scr., VI. 188. 
But If you compare his threatenings and his after-affec- 
tions you would say of them, as that wise man shearing 
his hogs : Here is a great deal of cry, but a little wool. 
Ilev. T. Adams, Works, I. 477. 
Hamburg wool, one of the varieties of Gennan or Berlin 
wool made for fancy work —Hand- washed wool, wool 
washed before the sheep were shorn. — Holmgren's 
wools, skeins of wool of different colors used as tests for 
color-blindness. — Laid wool, wiKil from sheep which had 
been smeared with tar and butter as a protection from 
the rigor of winter. -Leviathan wool. See leviathan. 
—Long wool. See def. 1.— Mineral wool. .See7ntn«raf. 
— More squeak than wool, more noise than substance. 
[ColllK).] 
removing impurities from wool by means of 
beaters. 
wool-dyed (wul'did), «. Dyed in the wool — 
that is, before spinning or weaving: as wool- 
dijed clotli. 
woolen, woollen (wiil'en), o. and H. [< ME. 
HoUeii, wiitlcii, < AS. wiilleii (= OHG. wuUiii, 
MHG. G. wollrii), woolen, < wid, wool, -t- -en'^: 
see wool, «.] I. a. 1. Made of wool ; consist- 
ing of wool: as, H-oo/f« cloth. Bacon. 
On a poure beggar put a scberte, 
.\nd wollen wedysthat warm will last. 
• Holy Itoml (E. E. T. S.), p. 214. 
2. Of or pertaining to wool: as, woolen man- 
ufactures. — 3. Clad in the lougli, homespun 
serges of fonuer times, as opposed to the silk, 
velvet, and fine linen of the wealthier classes; 
hence, coarse; boorish; rustic; vulgar. 
Woollen vassals, things created 
To buy and sell witli groats. Shnk., Cor., iii. 2. i). 
Woolen-back satin, satin of which the back is composed 
of linsey-woolsey : it is durable anil not liable to crease. 
IHct. of Sccdletrork. -Woolen plush, a plush with a 
woolen pile.— Woolen velvet, a general name for a 
woolen cloth with velvet texture. See astrakhan, bcaeerl, 
Utrecht velvet (under velcet), and velvet. 
II. n. Cloth made of wool, or chiefly of wool : 
an abbreviation of woolen cloth. 
I could not endure a husband with a beaid on his face ; 
I had rather lie in the ira(;f(cH. Shak., Much Ado, il. 1.33. 
The pre-existcnce under concrete fornisof the woollens, 
silks, and cottons we wear, we can trace some distance 
back. //. Spencer, First Principles, § 93. 
woolen-cord (wul'en-kord), n. A kind of cordu- 
roy, or ribbed stuff, of which the face is wholly 
of wool. 
For matter of title he thought there was mare squeak WOOlcn-draper (wuren-dra"per), «. A dealer 
than wool, ffoyn- .Vor(/i, Lord Guilford, II. 17. (Uavies.) in woolen cloths of different kinds ; especially, 
Philosopher's wool, philosophic wool. See phUo- ^ retail dealer in woolens for men's wear. 
.,.!■. ^ _, , woolenette, woollenette (wul-e-iief), ». [< 
woolen + dim. -(Uc.\ A trade-name for a va- 
riety of woolen clotli. 
woolen-matelass6 (witrcn-mat-las"s), «. 
Woolen clotli woven with flowers and other 
patterns in a light matelass6 silk. It is used 
for women's outer garments. 
snphic. -Pine-wool, pine-needle wool, i^^epine-iieedle. 
— Scoured wool. See xcoKri.— Shetland wool, a thin 
hairy uiidyed and very tenacious and strong worsted, spun 
in the Shetland Islands from the wool of the native sheep, 
and very extensively used in the knitting of fine shawls 
and other garments. Encyc. Brit., .XIV. 127. — Spanish 
wool, w-(x)l impregnated with rouge. — To pull the wool 
over one's eyes, t« deceive or delude one; tlirow dust 
trie's eyes; prevent one from seeing clearly In any way. 
and tying fleeces Into liundles; a fleece-folder or wool 
packer.— Wool in the grease, the technical name for 
wool which hasiiiot been cleaned either before or after 
shearing. (See also cinder.wool, cotton-wool, dead-wool, 
lamh's-wool, skin-wwil, slag-wfiol.) 
wool (will), I'. /. [< M-oo/, «.] To pull the hair 
of, in sport or anger; rumple or tousle the hair 
of. [Colloq., U. S.] 
wool-ball (wiil'bal). n. A ball of woo), espe- 
cially such as is found in the stomach of sheep 
and other animals. 
wool-bearing (wurbiir"ing), n. Producing 
^ _ wool; having a fleece, as the sheep. 
Wfxjls usually of long staple. Wools which unite a high WOOl-bladet, n. A plant, apparently the mul- 
degreeof fineness and softness with considerable length len. See quotation at woodil niidlen (under 
of staple bear a high price. English-bred sheep produce ,roodii\ .' > """< 
a g(K)d, strong combing wo<j1, that of the Scotch breeds ',■?'■ , ,.,,,.„,., ,^ , , . 
being somewhat harsher and coarser. The finest carding- WOOl-DUrler (wul ber'ler), n. One who burls 
wools were formerly exclusively obtained from .Spain, the wool iir woolen cloth. See bnrl^ , r. t. 
native country of the merino sheep and at a later period WOOl-Carder (wul'kilr'der), n. One who cards 
extensively from Germany, where that breed had been ^„,,i u„„ ,,.,,,,/ „„,.,/,„„ v^aiua 
successfully introduced and cultivated. Immense flocks ^",- '^i? '' T"^"' '''.''^/•,. , 
of merinos are now reared in Australia, North and South WOOl-CarcUng ( wul kar"ding), n. The process 
America, and South Africa. " " " - - 
Wool-bundling machine, a machine for compressing WOOlen-printer (wuren-prln "ter), n . One who 
prints woolen cloth, such as flannel, with col- 
ored iiafterns. 
woolen-scribbler (wul'en-skrib'ler), n. Same 
as wool-.^rrihhler. 
wool-extract (wiil'eks"triikt), n. Wool recov- 
ered from nii.xed fubrics of wool and cotton by 
subjecting them to a chemical process which 
d<'stroys the cotton. 
wool-fat (wiirfat), n. 1. Same as .siiiiit. — 2. 
A fatty substance obtained from wool and used 
as 11 basis for ointments; lanolin. 
woolfell (wiil'fel), n. [< wool + lell''.] The 
skin of a wool-bearing beast with tlie fleece still 
on it. 
The duties on wool, sheepskins, or wool.felh, and leather, 
exported, were . . . payable by every merchant, as well 
native aa stranger. Blackstone, Com., I. viii. 
In l:i33 the merchants granted ten shillings on the sack 
and uvmlfells, and a pound on the last, but this also was re- 
garded as illegal, and supersedeil by royal ordinance. 
Stubb-t, Const. Hist, § 277. 
of separating the fibers of wool and laying woolfistt (wul'fist), h. Same as wolf'.i-Jist'. 
