wool-gathering 
wool-gathering (vvurgaTH'er-ing), II. Theaet 
of gathering wool: usually applied figurative- 
ly to the imiulgenee of idle fancies or to any 
foolish or fruitless pursuit. The allusion is proba- 
bly to the practice of gathering the tufts of wool to be 
found on bushes and hedges, necessitating much wander- 
ing to little purpose. 
His wits were a wwl-fratken'nf/, as they say, and his head 
busied about other matters. Burton, Anat. of Mel., p. 189. 
I crost the water in my gown and slippers, 
To see my rents and buildings of theBankside, 
.^nd I ani slipt clean out of ken, fore-god, 
A tcooliiatbenng. 
Heywood, If you Know not me (Works, ed. 1874, I. 302). 
What ! I think my wits are a wool-qatherimj to-day. 
Stn/t, Polite Conversation, iii. 
wool-grass (wul'gras), n. A i-usli-like plant, 
Eriuplioriim ci/periiiiiM {Scirpiis Eriophorum), 
eommon in low grounds through the eastern 
half of North America, it grows from 2 to 5 feet 
high, bearing at the summit a spreading and drooping 
panicle of very numerous small heads which are woolly 
with the rusty tortuous bristles of the tlowers. 
I am particularly attracted by the arching and sheaf- 
like top of the wool-fjrass. Thoreau, Walden, p. 331. 
wool-grower (wiil'gro'er), «. One who raises 
sheep or goats for the production of wool. 
wool-growing (wurgr6"ing), (1. Producing 
sheep and wool: especially noting a tract of 
countr}'. 
wool-hall (vvul'hal), n. A market-building or 
exchange devoted to the business of woolen- 
merchants. 
wool-head (wul'hed), n. Same as hufflc^ (which 
see, with cut). G. TrumbuU, 1888. [Currituck 
Sound, North Carolina.] 
woollen, woollenette. See woolen, woolenettc. 
woolliness (wul'i-nes), n. A woolly character 
or quality; the state of "being woolly in fact or 
appearance; pubescence; tloeculence. 
woolly (wiil'i), a. [< ivool + -/yl.] 1. Con- 
sisting of wool; fleecy: as, the wooUij coat of 
the sheep, of a young seal, etc. — 2. Resem- 
bling wool ; exhibiting woolliness ; having the 
appearance of wool: as, kooUij hair; woolly 
clouds. 
When clouds look looolly, snow may be expected. 
Abercrombif, Weather, p. 114. 
3. Clothed or covered with wool, or something 
like it; pubescent; floceulent. 
When the work of generation was 
Between these woollf/ breeders in the act. 
The skilful shepherd peel'd me certain wands. 
Shak., M. of v., i. 3. 84. 
4. In hot., covered with a pubescence of long 
and soft hairs like wool ; lauate ; tonieiitose. — 
White woolly currant-scale. See «Ai7ei.— Woolly 
aphis, a plant-louse of the family Aphididx and either 
of the subfamilies Lachninse and Pemphi'jinx, Many of 
them secrete a white filamentous substance resembling 
wool. Schizoneura l:iiivjera is tile woolly root-louse of 
the apple, or the American blight of Great IJritain and the 
British colonies. See Lachnin<e, Pemphi'jinse, Pemphi- 
gus, root-louse, and Sckizoiieura (with cut). — WOOlly bear 
the larva of any arctiid moth which is densely clothed 
with woolly hairs, as that of the tiger-moth ; a member 
of the fjr^me. See cuts under bear'^, Euprcpia, and tiijer- 
»;j/j?/t.— Woolly beard-grass. See tcanf-.'/ra-vd'.— Woolly 
Chetah, the south Afiicau form of the chctah or hunting- 
leopard, which differs in some respects from that of India, 
has been described as a distinct species {l-'elis tanea), and 
is also called Guepardua or Ci/nxlurus juhatua, var. laiieus. 
The fur is somewhat woolly, and the spots are brown in- 
stead of black.— Woolly elephant, the hairy mammoth. 
ElephuHprhaijenius. See inamtnoth. — WOOlly indri, the 
woolly lenmr. See indri.— "Woolly lemur, the Madagas- 
car IndrUlaniyer. — WooUy lOUse, a woolly aphis of the 
genus .^'chizfjiieura, as A', lanijera; a woolly plant-louse. 
See cut under Schizoneura. — VfOOWy macaco, the Mada- 
gascar Lemur mon^oz.-'Wooily makl, the woolly lemur. 
— Woolly monkey, any .South American monkey of the 
genus La'jothrix. See cut under Laffothrix. — WOOlly pas- 
tlnum, a name given in the East Indies to a kind of red 
orpiment or sulphid of ai-senic. — WooUy ragwort. See 
ragwort —yfOOUy rhinoceros, the tichorhine rhinoce- 
ros, Uhiaocero^ ticfiorhiaua. This is the best-known fossil 
rhinoceros, and tlie one whose remains, like tliose of the 
woolly elephant, have been found in Siberi'i, embedded in 
ice. The species was two-horned, with the anterior horn 
of great size, and had a coat of pelage ; it was widely dia- 
triljuted in northerly latitudes of I'^urope and Asia, and ex- 
isted from the Miocene period.— Woollyrootr^louse. See 
wooWf nphiH and woolbj louse (above), and Schizoneura. 
WOoUy-but (wiil'i-but), n. A gum-tree, Euca- 
li/j)hix hiiii/ifolia, of New South Wales, reaching 
a height of 200 feet. The wood is hard, straight- 
grained, and easily worked, suitable for spokes of wheels, 
furniture, and a variety of i>urposes. The name refers tu 
the hijrous bark of old trees ; it is also apjilieil to the man- 
na-gum or blaek-but, K. mminalia, a UKxlerate or Sonus 
times vei7 large tree, with wood useful for general build- 
ing purposes. 
woolly-haired (wul'i-hard), a. 1. W<jolly- 
headcd, as a person or race of men ; ulotri- 
chous. See IJlotrichi. — 2. Having the pelage 
more or less woolly or fleecy ; woolly, as a 
beast. 
6972 
woolly-head ( vvid'i-hed), II. A negro: so called 
from the woolly hair of his head. [CoUoq.] 
woolly-headed (will' i-hed"ed), a. Woolly- 
haired or ulotrichous, as a person. — Woolly- 
headed thistle. Same ^^ friars-crown. 
wool-mill (wiil'mil), II. A building where the 
spinning of wool and the weaving of woolen 
cloth are carried on. 
WOolmonger (wiirmung"g^r), v. A dealer in 
wool. Eiiijlisli Gilds (E. E. T. S.), p. 35:!. 
WOOl-moter (wul'mo'ter), n. A person em- 
ployed in picking wool and freeing it from 
motes and impurities. 
wool-needle (wiirne'dl), n. A blunt needle 
with a large long eye, used for wool-work or 
worsted-work. 
WOOloid (wul'oid), 11. [< wool + -old.'] A fac- 
titious kind of wool prepared by chemical pro- 
cesses from cows' and buffaloes' hair, largely 
used in the United States in making ingrain 
carpets. [A trade-name.] 
wool-oil (wiil'oil), II. The secretion of the se- 
baceous glands of the sheep, which greases the 
fleece; lanolin: popularly called yo/A". Com- 
[lare wool-fat. 
wool-oiler (wiiroi"ler), n. An attachment to 
a wool-carding machine for adding oil to the 
wool to prevent the fibers from becoming felted 
together in the process of spinning. 
woolpack (wul'pak), n. [< ME. wolpal- ; (.wool 
+ puck'^, «.] 1. The package in which wool 
was in former times done up tor transportation 
and sale ; specifically, a bundle or bale weigh- 
ing 240 pounds. 
Two gentlemen making a marriage between their heirs 
over a woolpack. Dekker and Webitter, Northward Ho, i. 1. 
Enforcing a sack as big as a wool-pack into rooms at the 
first too narrow for your arm, when extended by their in- 
struments: so that often they make the very decks to 
stretch therewith. Sandyii, Travaile.s, p. 12. 
A cannon-ball always doth mischief in proportion to the 
resistance it meets with, and . . . nothing so effectually 
deadens its force as a woolpack. Fielding, Amelia, x. 4. 
As wool-packs quash Ihe leaden ball. 
Shenstone, Progress of Taste, i. 
2. In her., a bearing representing a sort of 
cushion usually having four tufts at the cor- 
ners. — 3. Cirro-cumulus eloud; a cloud made 
up of rolled masses, with a fleecy appearance. 
— 4. A concretionary mass of crystalline lime- 
stone in the bods of earthy and impure calca- 
reous rock of which the Wenlock limestone is 
made up. These concretionary masses vary in 
size from a few inches up to 80 feet in diame- 
ter. Also called hailstone Woolpack corded, in 
tier., a hearing representing a bale tied round witli cords 
in several places. 
wool-packer (wul'pak"er), ?). 1. One who puts 
up wool for the market, as into woolpacks. See 
woolpacl;. — 2. A table having various arrange- 
ments for collecting loose wool or fleeces into 
bundles ready for tying and otherwise prepar- 
ing for transportation. 
wool-picker (wiir]iik"er), 11. A machine for 
freeing wool from foreign matters by beating 
i t with rapidly revolving blades ; a wool-cleaner, 
wool-powder ( u ul'pou "dcr), II. Powder or dust 
obtained by scraping very dry wool. It is used 
for mosaic powder-work, wall-papers, etc. 
woolsack (wul'sak), II. [< ME. wollesac!:; < 
tvool + sack^, )!.] 1. A sack or bag of wool. — 
2. A cushion stuffed with wool, especially that 
on which the lord chancellor sits in the House 
of Lords. It is a large square bag of wool, with- 
out back or arms, cove^ed with green cloth. 
He [Warren Hastings] was then called to the bar, was 
informed from the woolsack that the Lords had acquitted 
him, and was solemnly discharged. 
Macaulay, Warren Hastings. 
In the reign of Queen Elizabeth an Act of Parliament 
was passed to prevent the exportation of wool ; and, that 
this source of our national wealth might be kept constant- 
ly in mind, woolsacks were placed in the House of Peers, 
whereon the Judges sat. Brewer, Diet. Plirase and Fable. 
In front of the throne were the woolsacks on which the 
judges sat, and the table for the clerks and other offlcers 
of parliament. Stubbs, Const. Hist,, § 425. 
WOOlsack-piet (wid'sak-pi). «. A kind of pie 
once to be had at ''The Woolsack,'-' a rather 
low ordinary and public house in London. 
Her grace would have you eat no more Woolsack pies. 
B. Jonson, -Alchemist, v. 2. 
wool-sale (wul'sal), «. a periodical public 
sale of wool in London, Melbourne, and other 
]]lafes where large quantities of wool are of- 
fered. 
wool-scribbler (wiil'skril/ler), II. A machine 
for combing wool and forming it into thin, 
downy, translucent layers, preparatory to spin- 
ning. Siiiimoiids. 
wool-winder 
WOOlsey (wul'si), «. [Abbr. of Uiisey-woolsey.'] 
1. A material made of cotton and wool, as dis- 
tinguished from linsey, which is made of linen 
and wool. Diet, of Needlework. 
Who could possibly have substituted chance for fate 
here ? unless he thought his verses were to sell by the foot, 
no matter for the stuff, whether linsey or woolsey. 
Bentley, On a Late Discourse of Jree-Thinkiug, liv. 
2. Same as linsey-woolsey, 1. 
wool-shears (wul'sherz), n. sing. andpZ. Shears 
of the kinds used tor shearing sheep, consisting 
of two sharp-pointed blades so connected by a 
spring at the back of the handles that they 
remain open when not in use. The blades are 
closed and brought into contact for cutting by 
the hand of the operator. See cuts under sheep- 
shears. 
wool-sorter (wtil'sor'ter), n. One who sorts 
wool ; especially, one skilled in dividing wool 
into lots according to its quality, as length and 
fineness of fiber. — Wool-sorters' disease, Ijlood-poi- 
soning, probably anthrax (although there is not always an 
external lesion), occurring in tliose engaged in handling 
and sorting alpaca, mohair, and other varieties of similar 
wools which have not been previously disinfected. See 
anthrax. 
wool-sower (wul's6"er), n. A woolly many- 
celled cynipid gall occurring on white-oak 
twigs in the United States, and made by the 
gall-fly Andricns semiiiator. This gall is round. 
a, Wool-sower gall, made by Aiidricus setninalor; />, an individual 
cell (the gall is composed of many such cells). 
usually an inch or more in diameter: the woolly material 
with which the cells are surrounded is rose-colored early 
in the season, but becomes rusty-brown toward the mid- 
dle of the summer. 
wool-sponge (will '.spun j), H. A kind of bath- 
sponge, more fully called lamVs-wool sponge. 
wool-staple (wursta"pl), n. 1. A city or town 
where wool was formerly brought to the king's 
staple for sale. — 2. The fiber or pile of wool. 
See stapli^, 7. 
wool-stapler (wul'sta''pler), «. 1. A dealer in 
wool ; a wool-factor. 
They bought the foreign wool directly from the impor- 
ter, and the native in the fleece, or from the wool-gtapler. 
English Gilds (E. E. T. S.), Int., p. clxxil. 
2. A sorter of wool. 
WOOlstock (wid'stok), II. [< wool + stock^, «.] 
A heavy wooden hammer with a broad smooth 
face, employed in dressing woolen cloth. 
WOOlwardt ( wul'ward), a. and itdi). [Early mod. 
E. wdlwarde; < M£. nolward, wolleward, tcul- 
ward ; lit. 'against wool,' i. e. with the skin 
against wool; < wool + -ward.'] With wool as 
clothing, especially next the skin : apparently 
always with the idea of doing penance by wear- 
ing an iiritating and uncomfortable garment. 
—To go woolward, to wear uncomfortable clothing; 
specifically, to do penance, especially by wearing woolens 
next the skin. 
.\nd wortes flechles wroughte & water to drinken. 
And werchen <t wolward oon as we wrecches vsen. 
Piers Plomnaiis Crede (E. E. T. S.), 1. 788. 
Barefote and wolwarde I have hyght 
'I'hyder for to go. 
Lytdl (icste of Robyn Mode (Child's Ballads, V. 121). 
I have no shirt; I go woolward for penance. 
Shak., I. L. L., v. 2. 717. 
Poor people fare coarsely, work hard, go wolward and 
bare. Burton, -\nat. of Mel., p. 5'26. 
WOOlward-goingt (wul'wiird-gd'ing), n. The 
act of one who goes woolward. 
Fasting, watching, wootward-going, pilgrimage, and all 
bodily exercise must be referred unto the taming of the 
flesh only. 
Tyndali; Ans. to Sir T. More, etc. (Parker Soc., 1850X p. sa 
Woolwich gun. See gun^. 
WOOl-'Winder (wurwin'der), n. A person em- 
ployed to wind wool or make it up into bundles 
to be packed for sale. 
