Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Thread
Thread
(thrĕd)
, Noun.
1.
A very small twist of flax, wool, cotton, silk, or other fibrous substance, drawn out to considerable length; a compound cord consisting of two or more single yarns doubled, or joined together, and twisted; also, one fiber of a cord composed of multiple fibers.
2.
A filament of any substance, as of glass, gold or silver; a filamentous part of an object, such as a flower; a component fiber of any or of any fibrous substance, as of bark.
3.
The prominent part of the spiral of a screw or nut; the rib. See , 1.
Screw
, Noun.
4.
(Fig.)
Something continued in a long course or tenor; a recurrent theme or related sequence of events in a larger story;
as the
. thread
of a story, or of life, or of a discourseBp. Burnet.
5.
Fig.: Composition; quality; fineness.
[Obs.]
A neat courtier,
Of a most elegant
Of a most elegant
thread
. B. Jonson.
Air thread
, the fine white filaments which are seen floating in the air in summer, the production of spiders; gossamer.
– Thread and thrum
, the good and bad together.
[Obs.]
Shak.
– Thread cell
(Zool.)
, a lasso cell. See under
– Lasso
. Thread herring
(Zool.)
, the gizzard shad. See under
– Gizzard
. Thread lace
, lace made of linen thread.
– Thread needle
, a game in which children stand in a row, joining hands, and in which the outer one, still holding his neighbor, runs between the others; – called also
thread the needle
.Thread
,Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Threaded
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Threading
.] 1.
To pass a thread through the eye of;
as, to
. thread
a needle2.
To pass or pierce through as a narrow way; also, to effect or make, as one’s way, through or between obstacles; to thrid.
Heavy trading ships . . .
threading
the Bosphorus. Mitford.
They would not
thread
the gates. Shakespeare
3.
To form a thread, or spiral rib, on or in;
as, to
. thread
a screw or nut