fleece

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
(flēs) pronunciation
n.
    1. The coat of wool of a sheep or similar animal.
    2. The yield of wool shorn from a sheep at one time.
  1. A soft woolly covering or mass.
  2. Fabric with a soft deep pile.
tr.v., fleeced, fleec·ing, fleec·es.
  1. To defraud of money or property; swindle.
  2. To shear the fleece from.
  3. To cover with or as if with fleece.

[Middle English fles, from Old English flēos.]

fleecer fleec'er n.

Top

verb

    To exploit (another) by charging too much for something: overcharge. Slang clip1, gouge, nick, rip off, scalp, skin, soak. Idioms: make someone pay through the nose, take someone for a ride, take someone to the cleaners. See honest/dishonest.


v

Definition: plunder, steal
Antonyms: give, offer

fleece, mat of wool formed by shearing a sheep in one continuous operation. The average fleece weighs from 5 to 10 lb (2.3-4.5 kg); in highbred wool sheep such as the American Merinos a ram's fleece may reach 30 lb (13.6 kg). The weight lost in cleansing the fleece of grease before sorting the wool is called shrinkage. On large sheep ranches hand shearing, once a competition skill, has largely been replaced by machine shearing. In heraldry a fleece is a whole, stuffed ram's fleece, complete with head and feet, suspended by a band around its middle. See also Golden Fleece and sheep.


Top
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: n. - Outer coat of especially sheep and yaks; A soft bulky fabric with deep pile; Tanned skin of a sheep with the fur left on; The wool of a sheep or similar animal v. - Shear the wool from; Rip off.

Tutor's tip: The cat "flees" (to escape) her cozy "fleece" (a sheep's wool or any similar soft exterior) bed because of too many "fleas." (parasitic insects)

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

The wool covering of the sheep shorn off as one piece, except for the scraps at the legs, face and crutch.

  • double f. — two-year growth of wool in the one fleece.
  • f. fly strike — see cutaneous myiasis.
  • f. rot — a dermatitis of sheep caused by prolonged wetting of the skin leading to exudation, the formation of crusts and the matting together of the wool fibers. The growth of toxigenic strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is believed to be the major cause of the dermatitis, and the green fleece coloration associated with production of pyocyanin that usually accompanies it. Other discolorations may occur depending upon the predominance of a particular chromogenic bacterium, many which belong to Pseudomonas spp. Ps. maltophilia can result in yellow coloration, and Ps. indigofera, blue coloration. The damaged fleece loses much of its commercial value.
  • tender f. — a staple of the wool will break easily across the fibers with only moderate tension having been applied.
  • f. weight — the weight of wool produced by a sheep in a year.
  • f. worm — see cutaneous myiasis.
Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'fleece'

Top
Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to fleece, see:

  See crossword solutions for the clue Fleece.

Fleece is a general term for a soft fabric (often with a deep pile), and may refer to:

  • A fleece, the woollen coat of a domestic sheep or long-haired goat, especially after having been sheared (but before being processed into yarn or thread).
  • Polar fleece and related modern synthetic materials used to make cool-weather clothing
  • Horticultural fleece, used to protect plants from low temperatures or insect pests
  • The Golden Fleece of Greek mythology
  • To fleece someone, slang term for causing someone to be ripped off, or an unfair transaction

Top

Dansk (Danish)
n. - fåreuld, uldskind
v. tr. - klippe et får, udplyndre

Nederlands (Dutch)
schapenvacht, wol, wollen bedekking, het vel over de oren trekken, met wol bedekken, scheren (schaap)

Français (French)
n. - toison (d'un animal), (Tex) molleton, laine polaire, fourrure polaire
v. tr. - écorcher, estamper

Deutsch (German)
n. - Schaffell, Schur, Vlies(stoff)
v. - jmdn. ausnehmen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - δορά, δέρμα, τομάρι, προβιά, δέρας, αρνίσιο μαλλί
v. - κουρεύω (πρόβατο), (μτφ.) υπερχρεώνω (κν. γδέρνω), ληστεύω

Italiano (Italian)
tosare, pelare, spogliare

Português (Portuguese)
n. - velo (m) (lã de carneiro)
v. - tosquiar

Русский (Russian)
овечья шерсть, перистые облака, руно

Español (Spanish)
n. - vellón, lana
v. tr. - esquilar, desplumar, pelar

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - (får)päls, ullmängd (vid klippning av får), yvig kalufs
v. - klippa får, skörta upp

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
羊毛, 羊毛状之物, 剪下羊毛, 诈取

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 羊毛, 羊毛狀之物
v. tr. - 剪下羊毛, 詐取

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 털, 양모
v. tr. - (양의) 털을 깎다, 빼앗다, 강탈하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 羊毛, 羊毛に似たもの
v. - 毛を刈る, から巻き上げる

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) صوف الخراف (فعل) يجز الصوف‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮צמר, גיזה‬
v. tr. - ‮גזל, עשק, גזז (צמר), כיסה (בצמר)‬


Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

Copyrights:

Mentioned in