floss
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floss
(flôs, flŏs)n.
1. Dental floss.
2. Short or waste silk fibers, especially from the outer surface of the cocoon of a silkworm.
3. Soft, loosely twisted thread, as of silk or cotton, used in embroidery.
4. A downy or silky fibrous substance, such as corn silk or silk cotton.
v. flossed, floss·ing, floss·es
v.tr.
To clean between (teeth) with dental floss.
v.intr.
To use dental floss.
[Perhaps alteration of French floche, tuft of wool, from Old French floc, floche, from Latin floccus.]
floss′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
floss
(flɒs)n
1. (Biology) the mass of fine silky fibres obtained from cotton and similar plants
2. (Biology) any similar fine silky material, such as the hairlike styles and stigmas of maize or the fibres prepared from silkworm cocoons
3. (Knitting & Sewing) untwisted silk thread used in embroidery, etc
4. (Dentistry) See dental floss
vb
(Dentistry) to clean (between one's teeth) with dental floss
[C18: perhaps from Old French flosche down]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
floss
(flɔs, flɒs)n.
1. the cottony fiber yielded by the silk-cotton tree.
2.
a. short untwisted silk filaments, often used to make embroidery thread.
b. embroidery thread of silk or fine cotton.
3. any silky, filamentous matter, as the silk of corn.
v.i. 5. to use dental floss on the teeth.
v.t. 6. to clean (the teeth) with dental floss.
Also called floss′ silk` (for defs. 1–3).[1750–60; probably < French floche, as in soie floche floss silk]
floss′er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
floss
- A word for untwisted filaments of silk used in making embroidery or satin.See also related terms for silk.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. | floss - a soft loosely twisted thread used in embroidery |
| 2. |  floss - a soft thread for cleaning the spaces between the teeth | |
| Verb | 1. | floss - use dental floss to clean; "floss your teeth after every meal" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
fogselyem
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
floss
[ˈflɒs] vi (with dental floss) → utiliser du fil dentaire
vt
to floss one's teeth → se passer du fil dentaire entre les dents
to floss one's teeth → se passer du fil dentaire entre les dents
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
floss
n → Flockseide f, → Schappe f; (= thread) → Florettgarn nt, → ungezwirntes Seidengarn; (= dental floss) → Zahnseide f
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
floss
n. seda floja;
dental ___ → hilo dental.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
floss
n (dent) seda or hilo dental; vt, vi limpiar (los dientes) con seda dentalEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.