fur

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1. The thick coat of soft hair covering the skin of a mammal, such as a fox or beaver.
2. The hair-covered, dressed pelt of such a mammal, used in the making of garments and as trimming or decoration.
3. A garment made of or lined with the dressed pelt of a mammal.
4. A coating similar to the pelt of a mammal.

1. To cover, line, or trim with fur.
2. To provide fur garments for.
3. To cover or coat as if with fur.
4. To line (a wall or floor) with furring.

[Middle English furre, probably from furren, to line with fur, from Old French forrer, from forre, fuerre, sheath, lining, of Germanic origin.]

noun

The skin of an animal: fell³, hide², jacket, pelt¹. See surface/depth.

To apply furring.

Short, very fine and soft hair. Valuable as pelts for use in cold climate and high fashion garments.

• f. animal — animals bred or trapped in the wild for their pelts. Includes mink, sable, otter, lapin, ermine, marten.
• f. ball — accumulations of fur, swallowed during the natural grooming procedures of cats, can be a cause of vomiting, enteritis and uncommonly intestinal obstruction. Most troublesome in longhaired cats and those with skin disease that prompts more grooming.
• f.-bearing animal — see fur animal (above).
• f. clipping — chewing of fur by captive mink rendering the pelt useless. A vice apparently caused by cage boredom.
• f. mite — see lynxacarus radovsky.
• f. seal alopecia — caused in captive seals by overgrooming, a displacement activity. Alopecia occurs on the head and the posterior body, the easiest places for the seal to scratch.

Tutor's tip: The bear rubbed the "fur" (the hairy coating of a mammal) on its back against the bark of a "fir" (an evergreen tree) tree.

"Furs" redirects here. For other uses, see Furs (disambiguation).

For other uses, see Fur (disambiguation).

Opossum fur

Fur mosaic with portrait of Emperor Franz Joseph

Fur is a synonym for hair, used more commonly in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensive body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal pelts which have been processed into leather with the hair still attached. The words fur or furry are also used, more casually, to refer to hair-like growths or formations; particularly when the subject being referred to exhibits a dense coat of fine, soft "hairs".

Animal fur, if layered, rather than grown as a single coat, may consist of short ground hair, long guard hair, and, in some cases, medium awn hair. Mammals with reduced amounts of fur are often called "naked", as in The Naked Ape, naked mole rat, and naked dogs.

The acquisition and use of fur as clothing and/or decoration is considered controversial in some cultures. Animal welfare advocates object to the trapping and killing of wildlife, and the confinement and killing of animals on fur farms. An animal with commercially valuable fur is known within the fur industry as a furbearer. (See fur clothing).

Contents 1 Nature of fur 2 Use in clothing 3 Controversy 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

Nature of fur

This zoomed photo shows the fur on a dog's head.

Fur usually consists of two main layers:

• Ground hair or underfur or down hair — the bottom layer consisting of wool hairs which tend to be shorter, flattened, curly, and denser than the top layer. Its principal function is thermal insulation and thus thermoregulation.
• Guard hair — the top layer consisting of longer, often coarser, straight shafts of hair that stick out through the underfur. This is usually the visible layer for most mammals and contains most of the pigmentation. It protects the underfur from outside factors, such as rain, and is thus often water-repellent.

A third layer, the awn hair, may also exist. It is intermediate between the two others.

Use in clothing

This fur coat, made in 1975, was produced from dyed blueback hooded seals.

Main article: Fur clothing

In clothing, fur is leather with the hair retained for its insulating properties. Fur has long served as a source of clothing for hominoids including the Neanderthal. Some members of modern society continue to wear fur, although it is becoming less popular as the cruelty of present-day fur farming becomes more widely known.^[1] Animal furs used in garments and trim may be dyed bright colors or to mimic exotic animal patterns, or shorn down to imitate the feel of a soft velvet fabric. The term "a fur" is often used to refer to a fur coat, wrap, or shawl.

Common animal sources for fur clothing and fur trimmed accessories include fox, rabbit, mink, beavers, ermine, otters, sable, seals, cats, dogs, coyotes, chinchilla, and possum. The import and sale of seal products was banned in the U.S. in 1972 over conservation concerns about Canadian seals. The import, export and sales of domesticated cat and dog fur was also banned in the U.S. under the Dog and Cat Protection Act of 2000.^[2]

The manufacturing of fur clothing involves obtaining animal pelts where the hair is left on the animal's processed skin. In contrast, making leather involves removing the hair from the hide or pelt and using only the skin. The use of wool involves shearing the animal's fleece from the living animal, so that the wool ^[3] can be regrown but sheepskin shearling is made by retaining the fleece to the leather and shearing it. Shearling is used for boots, jackets and coats and is probably the most common type of skin worn.

Fur is also used to make felt. A common felt is made from beaver fur and is used in high-end cowboy hats.^[4]

Fake fur or "faux fur" designates any synthetic material that mimics the appearance and feel of real fur, without the use of animal products.

Controversy

Red fox furs

Main article: Fur farming

Further information: Fur trade

Animal rights activists are opposed to the trapping and killing of wildlife, and the confinement and killing of animals on fur farms. According to Humane Society International over 8 million animals are trapped yearly for fur, while more than 30 million were raised in fur farms.^[5] Based on undercover video footage, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) allege that dog and cat fur farming in China is particularly inhumane.^[6]

See also

• Wool
• Coat (animal)
• Animal colouration
• Cat coat genetics

Human activities

• Fur farming
• Tanning
• Fur fetishism

References

1. ^ , "Fur-Free Designers and Retailers" July 31, 2009.
2. ^ Rules and Regulations Under the Fur Products Labeling Act
3. ^ Australian Wool Corporation, Australian Wool Classing, Raw Wool Services, 1990
4. ^ Chamber's journal, Published by Orr and Smith, 1952, pg 200, Original from the University of Michigan
5. ^ Humane Society International Fur Trade
6. ^ China's Shocking Dog and Cat Fur Trade

External links

• New Zealand turns a pest into luxury business

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - pels, skind, belægning
v. tr. - fore med pelsværk, rense

idioms:

• fur up    rejse børster
• make the fur fly    få dem i totterne på hinanden

n. - fur-person, fur-sprog
adj. - fur-

Nederlands (Dutch)
bont, vacht, bontjas, pelsdieren, kleding van bont, aanslag, (laten) aanslaan, met bont bezetten/bekleden, schoonmaken van aanslag, houten grond recht maken

Français (French)
n. - poils, pelage, fourrure, manteau de fourrure, (GB) tartre
v. tr. - entartrer, incruster

idioms:

• fur and feather    gibier à poil et à plume
• fur up    s'incruster, s'entartrer
• make the fur fly    ça va chauffer/barder

n. - Fur/For (musulman du sud-ouest Soudanais), le fur/for (langue du sud-ouest Soudanais)
adj. - du Fur/For

Deutsch (German)
n. - Pelz, Fell, Pelzmantel, Belag, Kesselstein
v. - mit Pelz ausstatten, (sich) mit Belag bzw. Kesselstein überziehen

idioms:

• fur and feather    Wild und Federwild
• fur up    Kesselstein ansetzen
• make the fur fly    einen Aufruhr verursachen

n. - Fur (Sprache), Fur (Mitglied des Volkes in Südwestsudan)
adj. - Fur-

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - γούνα, τρίχωμα ζώου, γουναρικό, καθαλάτωση
v. - φοδράρω, ντουμπλάρω

idioms:

• fur up    πιάνω πουρί
• make the fur fly    γίνομαι ή κάνω μαλλιά-κουβάρια

Italiano (Italian)
pelliccia, deposito

idioms:

• fur flying    rissoso
• fur up    incrostarsi

Português (Portuguese)
n. - pele (f) (de animal), crosta (f)
v. - forrar (de pele), incrustar

idioms:

• fur up    incrustar
• make the fur fly    causar uma grande polêmica

Русский (Russian)
мех, шерсть, пушнина, накипь

idioms:

• fur up    покрываться накипью
• make the fur fly    поднять бучу

Español (Spanish)
n. - piel, pelaje, abrigo de piel, sedimento, sarro
v. tr. - cubrir, forrar, adornar con pieles

idioms:

• fur and feather    piel y plumas
• fur up    cubrirse de sarro
• make the fur fly    provocar un altercado, iniciar una disputa

n. - musulmán de las regiones montañosas del SW de Sudán
adj. - relativo a estas personas y a su lenguaje

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - päls, skinn, pälsdjur, pannsten
v. - pälsfodra, belägga

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
软毛, 皮子, 毛皮, 毛皮制品, 毛皮制品的, 软毛的, 毛皮的

毛皮制品, 软毛, 毛皮, 以毛皮制作, 使生垢, 使生苔

idioms:

• fur up    生垢
• make the fur fly    引起骚乱

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 軟毛, 皮子, 毛皮, 毛皮製品
adj. - 毛皮製品的, 軟毛的, 毛皮的

n. - 毛皮製品, 軟毛, 毛皮
v. tr. - 以毛皮製作, 使生垢, 使生苔

idioms:

• fur up    生垢
• make the fur fly    引起騷亂

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 털
v. tr. - 부드러운 모피를 붙이다

idioms:

• fur up    블록이 형성되다
• make the fur fly    큰 소동을 벌이다

n. - 모피, 모피제품, 솜털 모양의 부착물
adj. - 모피의, 솜털의

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 毛, 毛皮, 舌苔, 湯あか, 毛皮製品
v. - 毛皮でおおう

idioms:

• fur up    外殻が生じる
• make the fur fly    大騒動を引き起こす, てきぱきやる

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) فراء (فعل) يكسو بالفرو‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮פרווה, דוק-הלשון, משקע, אבנית, שכבה על הלשון, חיות-פרווה, קיצור: פורלונג (כ-081 מטר)‬
v. tr. - ‮כיסה באבנית, יישר רצפת עץ, תפר פרווה לשולי בגד, הלביש בפרווה‬
n. - ‮בן לעם מוסלמי באיזורי ההרים והמדבר בדרום-מערב סודן, שפתו של עם זה‬
adj. - ‮של עם זה או לשונו‬

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