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wool

.
Searchable Lemmata: wul (OE), wol (ME), wol (OScots), wool (MdE).
Alternate Forms: owlle, wall, wel, whol, wille, wl, wlle, wol, wolle, wolas, wole, wolle, wolles, wullus, woul, woule, wul, wule, wulle, wulon.

    Definitions and Defining Citations:

1a(n.) Raw Material; animal hair or fibres; particularly the hair of sheep; (as a count noun) the coat or fleece of a sheep; sheepskin. Isidore and most Old English glossators differentiate between wool or lana (L), an unharvested material, and fleece or vellus (L) the shorn product. Also appears in compounds, such as in the ME compounds 'good wool', 'middle wool', upper and middling grades of wool (see wool compounds in MED), and in the terms wool-yarn and wool-thread.(ante 1000 still in current use)
1. Lana sucida unawæscen wull ł sucilenta.Gloss on Isid. Etym. 19,27,1: Lana a laniando, id est a vellendo, vocata: hinc et vellus dictum, quod prius lanae vellerentur, non tonderentur. Linum ex terra oritur, deflexumque nomen eius a Graeco; nam linum Graeci LINARION dicunt; sive quod sit molle et lene. [DOE AntGl 6 (Kindschi) (078900 (789))]
2. Se gifð swaw swa swa wul genipu swa swa axsan he tostert Qui dat niuem sicut lanam nebulam sicut cinerem spargit. [DOE PsGlK (Sisam) (235500 (147.5))]
3. lana : wull [DOE ÆGl (0908 (315.5))]
4. Lana sucida : unawæscen wull ł sucilenta . Gloss. [DOE AntGl 6 (Kindschi) (0789 (789))]
5. Swiðe sweartes lichaman heo wæs for þære sunnan hæto, and þa loccas hire heafdes wæron swa hwite swa wull and þa na siddran þonne oþ þone swuran. [DOE LS 23 (MaryofEgypt) (006610))]
6. Cana uellus : wul flys. [DOE HlGl (Oliphant) (0446 (C227))]
7. Grecas ne syllað na hyra swynum astorfen flæsc, ac hy lyfað þa fel to sceon and þa hyda and þa hornas and þa wulla doð to nytte, and swa þeah in naht haliglices, and gif hit gelimpð, þat swyn etað astorfen flæsc, oððe henna mannes blod, ne gelefað we na, þæt hy syn forðon to aweorpanne. [DOE Conf 5 (Mone) (0013 (96))]
8. Se gifð swaw swa swa wul genipu swa swa axsan he tostert : Qui dat niuem sicut lanam nebulam sicut cinerem spargit . [DOE PsGlK (Sisam) (2355 (147.5))]
9. & onlecge hæran oððe wyllen & smirie hine mid þon haligan ele & oðre betrynan þan syngan þa sealm þe her gemearcode sint. [DOE Lit 5.12.13 (Wilson) (0002 (2))]
10. Bestes ... bereþ wolle for cloþynge of men, as scheepe and oþere suche Other, Philosophy. [MED Trev.Barth. ((Add 27944:Seymour) 1092/25) ante 1398]
11. Tween wolle & gossomer is a gret difference, Stuff for a chapman that is nat lyk to the Poetic. (work: a1449) [MED Lydg.OFools ((LdMisc 683) 63) circa 1475]
12. In myn armys i bere wele ... A sadyll withouten a panell, With a fles of woll [rime: full]. Poetic, Romance. (work: a1450) [MED Tourn.Tott. ((Hrl 5396)125) ante 1475]
13. Þese neophites ar for to proue þat Sathanas transfigur not him-self in-to an aungell of lith, þat þe wolf do not on his bak a schepis wolle Biblical/Hagiographic. (sheepskin) [MED Capgr.St.Gilb. ((Add 36704) 85/22) 1451]
c.f.: vellus, lana
ME, MdE, Nors, OE, OScots; Primarily N/A; n/a.
Sex: N/A    Use: n/a    Status: n/a    Rank: n/a    Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.

    Etymological Evidence:

Definite, Common Germanic and Indo-European.
WF:
Etym Cog:
References:
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