Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Woolly

Wool′ly

,
Adj.
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.
(Bot.)
Clothed with a fine, curly pubescence resembling wool.
Woolly bear
(Zool.)
,
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
(Bot.)
,
an Australian tree (
Eucalyptus longifolia
), so named because of its fibrous bark.
Woolly louse
(Zool.)
,
a plant louse (
Schizoneura lanigera
syn
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
(Zool.)
,
the mongoose lemur.
Woolly maki
(Zool.)
,
a long-tailed lemur (
Indris laniger
) native of Madagascar, having fur somewhat like wool; – called also
avahi
, and
woolly lemur
.
Woolly monkey
(Zool.)
,
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.

Webster 1828 Edition


Woolly

WOOLLY

,
Adj.
1.
Consisting of wool; as a woolly covering; a woolly fleece.
2.
Resembling wool; as woolly hair.
3.
Clothed with wool; as woolly breeders.
4.
In botany, clothed with a pubescence resembling wool.

Definition 2024


woolly

woolly

English

Alternative forms

  • wooly (chiefly used in the US, but less common than woolly even there)

Adjective

woolly (comparative woollier, superlative woolliest)

  1. Made of wool.
    Put on a woolly jumper and turn down the thermostat.
  2. Having a thick, soft texture, as if made of wool.
    woolly hair
  3. (figuratively) Of thinking, principles, etc, based on emotion rather than logic.
    That's the sort of woolly thinking that causes wars to start.
  4. (figuratively) Unclear, fuzzy, hazy, cloudy.
  5. (obsolete) Clothed in wool.
    • Shakespeare
      woolly breeders
Derived terms
Translations

Noun

woolly (plural woollies)

  1. (informal) A sweater or similar garment made of wool

Etymology 2

From woolyback.

Noun

woolly (plural woollies)

  1. (Liverpudlian, pejorative) Someone not born in Liverpool (especially from the towns of Wigan, St Helen's, Widnes, Warrington and Runcorn).