Woodless Wood"less adjective Having no wood; destitute of wood. Mitford. -- Wood"less*ness , noun

Woodly Wood"ly adverb In a wood, mad, or raving manner; madly; furiously. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Woodman Wood"man noun ; plural Woodmen [ Written also woodsman .]

1. A forest officer appointed to take care of the king's woods; a forester. [ Eng.]

2. A sportsman; a hunter.

[ The duke] is a better woodman than thou takest him for.

Shak.

3. One who cuts down trees; a woodcutter.

Woodman , spare that tree.

G. P. Morris.

4. One who dwells in the woods or forest; a bushman.

Woodmeil Wood"meil noun See Wadmol .

Woodmonger Wood"mon`ger noun A wood seller. [ Obsolete]

Woodness Wood"ness noun [ From Wood mad.] Anger; madness; insanity; rage. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Woodness laughing in his rage.

Chaucer.

Woodpeck Wood"peck` noun (Zoology) A woodpecker. [ Obsolete]

Woodpecker Wood"peck`er noun (Zoology) Any one of numerous species of scansorial birds belonging to Picus and many allied genera of the family Picidæ .

» These birds have the tail feathers pointed and rigid at the tip to aid in climbing, and a strong chisellike bill with which they are able to drill holes in the bark and wood of trees in search of insect larvæ upon which most of the species feed. A few species feed partly upon the sap of trees (see Sap sucker , under Sap ), others spend a portion of their time on the ground in search of ants and other insects.

The most common European species are the greater spotted woodpecker ( Dendrocopus major ), the lesser spotted woodpecker ( D. minor ), and the green woodpecker, or yaffle (see Yaffle ).

The best-known American species are the pileated woodpecker (see under Pileated ), the ivory-billed woodpecker ( Campephilus principalis ), which is one of the largest known species, the red-headed woodpecker, or red-head ( Melanerpes erythrocephalus ), the red- bellied woodpecker ( M. Carolinus ) (see Chab ), the superciliary woodpecker ( M. superciliaris ), the hairy woodpecker ( Dryobates villosus ), the downy woodpecker ( D. pubescens ), the three-toed, woodpecker ( Picoides Americanus ), the golden-winged woodpecker (see Flicker ), and the sap suckers. See also Carpintero .

Woodpecker hornbill (Zoology) , a black and white Asiatic hornbill ( Buceros pica ) which resembles a woodpecker in color.

Woodrock Wood"rock` noun (Min.) A compact woodlike variety of asbestus.

Woodruff, Woodroof Wood"ruff`, Wood"roof` noun [ Anglo-Saxon wudurofe . See Wood , noun , and confer Ruff a plaited collar.] (Botany) A little European herb ( Asperula odorata ) having a pleasant taste. It is sometimes used for flavoring wine. See Illust. of Whorl .

Woodsman Woods"man noun ; plural Woodsmen A woodman; especially, one who lives in the forest.

Woodstone Wood"stone` noun (Min.) A striped variety of hornstone, resembling wood in appearance.

Woodsy Woods"y adjective Of or pertaining to the woods or forest. [ Colloq. U. S.]

It [ sugar making] is woodsy , and savors of trees.

J. Burroughs.

Woodwall Wood"wall` noun (Zoology) The yaffle. [ Written also woodwale , and woodwele .]

Woodward Wood"ward` noun (Eng. Forest Law) An officer of the forest, whose duty it was to guard the woods.

Woodwardia Wood·war"di·a noun [ New Latin After Thomas J. Woodward , an English botanist.] (Botany) A genus of ferns, one species of which ( Woodwardia radicans ) is a showy plant in California, the Azores, etc.

Woodwork Wood"work` noun Work made of wood; that part of any structure which is wrought of wood.

Woodworm Wood"worm` noun (Zoology) See Wood worm , under Wood .

Woody Wood"y adjective 1. Abounding with wood or woods; as, woody land. "The woody wilderness." Bryant.

Secret shades
Of woody Ida's inmost grove.

Milton.

2. Consisting of, or containing, wood or woody fiber; ligneous; as, the woody parts of plants.

3. Of or pertaining to woods; sylvan. [ R.] " Woody nymphs, fair Hamadryades." Spenser.

Woody fiber . (Botany) (a) Fiber or tissue consisting of slender, membranous tubes tapering at each end. (b) A single wood cell. See under Wood . Goodale. -- Woody nightshade . (Botany) . See Bittersweet , 3 (a) . -- Woody pear (Botany) , the inedible, woody, pear- shaped fruit of several Australian proteaceous trees of the genus Xylomelum ; -- called also wooden pear .

Wooer Woo"er noun [ Anglo-Saxon wōgere . See Woo , transitive verb ] One who wooes; one who courts or solicits in love; a suitor. "A thriving wooer ." Gibber.

Woof Woof (wōf) noun [ Middle English oof , Anglo-Saxon ōwef , ōweb , āweb ; on , an , on + wef , web , from wefan to weave. The initial w is due to the influence of English weave . See On , Weave , and confer Abb .]

1. The threads that cross the warp in a woven fabric; the weft; the filling; the thread usually carried by the shuttle in weaving.

2. Texture; cloth; as, a pall of softest woof . Pope.

Woofell Woo"fell noun (Zoology) The European blackbird. "The woofell near at hand that hath a golden bill." Drayton.

Woofy Woof"y adjective Having a close texture; dense; as, a woofy cloud. J. Baillie.

Woohoo Woo`hoo" noun (Zoology) The sailfish.

Wooingly Woo"ing·ly adverb In a wooing manner; enticingly; with persuasiveness. Shak.

Wook Wook" (wōk), obsolete imperfect of Wake . Woke. Chaucer.

Wool Wool (wol) noun [ Middle English wolle , wulle , Anglo-Saxon wull ; akin to Dutch wol , Old High German wolla , German wolle , Icelandic & Swedish ull , Danish uld , Goth, wulla , Lithuanian vilna , Russian volna , Latin vellus , Sanskrit ūrnā wool, vr to cover. √146, 287. Confer 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.

» Wool consists essentially of keratin.

2. Short, thick hair, especially when crisped or curled.

Wool of bat and tongue of dog.

Shak.

3. (Botany) 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 . (Chemistry) 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 (Botany) , a kind of bulrush ( Scirpus Eriophorum ) with numerous clustered woolly spikes. -- Wool scribbler . See Woolen scribbler , under Woolen , adjective -- Wool sorter's disease (Medicine) , 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.

Wool-dyed Wool"-dyed` adjective Dyed before being made into cloth, in distinction from piece-dyed ; ingrain.

Wool-hall Wool"-hall` noun A trade market in the woolen districts. [ Eng.]

Woold Woold transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Woolded ; present participle & verbal noun Woolding .] [ Dutch woelen , be woelen ; akin to German wuhlen , be wuhlen . √146.] (Nautical) To wind, or wrap; especially, to wind a rope round, as a mast or yard made of two or more pieces, at the place where it has been fished or scarfed, in order to strengthen it.

Woolder Woold"er noun 1. (Nautical) A stick used to tighten the rope in woolding.

2. (Rope Making) One of the handles of the top, formed by a wooden pin passing through it. See 1st Top , 2.

Woolding Woold"ing noun (Nautical) (a) The act of winding or wrapping anything with a rope, as a mast. (b) A rope used for binding masts and spars.

Wooled Wooled adjective Having (such) wool; as, a fine- wooled sheep.

Woolen Wool"en adjective [ Middle English wollen ; confer Anglo-Saxon wyllen . See Wool .] [ Written also woollen .]

1. Made of wool; consisting of wool; as, woolen goods.

2. Of or pertaining to wool or woolen cloths; as, woolen manufactures; a woolen mill; a woolen draper.

Woolen scribbler , a machine for combing or preparing wool in thin, downy, translucent layers.

Woolen Wool"en noun [ Written also woollen .] Cloth made of wool; woollen goods.

Woolenet Wool`en·et" noun A thin, light fabric of wool. [ Written also woollenet , woolenette , and woollenette .]

Woolert Woo"lert noun (Zoology) The barn owl. [ Prov. Eng.] [ Written also oolert , and owlerd .]

Woolfell Wool"fell` noun [ Wool + fell a skin.] A skin with the wool; a skin from which the wool has not been sheared or pulled. [ Written also woolfel .]

Woolgathering Wool"gath`er·ing adjective Indulging in a vagrant or idle exercise of the imagination; roaming upon a fruitless quest; idly fanciful.

Woolgathering Wool"gath`er·ing noun Indulgence in idle imagination; a foolish or useless pursuit or design.

His wits were a woolgathering , as they say.

Burton.

Woolgrower Wool"grow`er noun One who raises sheep for the production of wool. -- Wool"grow`ing , noun

Woolhead Wool"head` noun (Zoology) The buffel duck.

Woolliness Wool"li·ness noun The quality or state of being woolly.

Woolly Wool"ly adjective 1. Consisting of wool; as, a woolly covering; a woolly fleece.

2. Resembling wool; of the nature of wool. "My fleece of woolly hair." Shak.

3. Clothed with wool. " Woolly breeders." Shak.

4. (Botany) Clothed with a fine, curly pubescence resembling wool.

Woolly bear (Zoology) , the hairy larva of several species of bombycid moths. The most common species in the United States are the salt-marsh caterpillar (see under Salt ), the black and red woolly bear, or larva of the Isabella moth (see Illust. , under Isabella Moth ), and the yellow woolly bear, or larva of the American ermine moth ( Spilosoma Virginica ). -- Woolly butt (Botany) , an Australian tree ( Eucalyptus longifolia ), so named because of its fibrous bark. -- Woolly louse (Zoology) , a plant louse ( Schizoneura, or Erisoma, lanigera ) which is often very injurious to the apple tree. It is covered with a dense coat of white filaments somewhat resembling fine wool or cotton. In exists in two forms, one of which infests the roots, the other the branches. See Illust. under Blight . -- Woolly macaco (Zoology) , the mongoose lemur. -- Woolly maki (Zoology) , a long-tailed lemur ( Indris laniger ) native of Madagascar, having fur somewhat like wool; -- called also avahi , and woolly lemur . -- Woolly monkey (Zoology) , any South American monkey of the genus Lagothrix , as the caparro. -- Woolly rhinoceros (Paleon.) , an extinct rhinoceros ( Rhinoceros tichorhinus ) which inhabited the arctic regions, and was covered with a dense coat of woolly hair. It has been found frozen in the ice of Siberia, with the flesh and hair well preserved.

Woolly-head Wool"ly-head` noun A negro. [ Low]

Woolman Wool"man noun ; plural Woolmen One who deals in wool.

Woolpack Wool"pack` noun A pack or bag of wool weighing two hundred and forty pounds.

Woolsack Wool"sack` noun A sack or bag of wool; specifically, the seat of the lord chancellor of England in the House of Lords, being a large, square sack of wool resembling a divan in form.

Woolsey Wool"sey noun [ From Wool .] Linsey-woolsey.

Woolstock Wool"stock` noun A heavy wooden hammer for milling cloth.

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