I. ˈfelt noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old Saxon filt felt, Old High German filz felt, Swedish dialect filta to beat, Latin pellere to drive, beat, push, Greek pelas near
1.
a. : a cloth constructed usually of wool and fur fibers often mixed with natural or synthetic fibers by the interlocking of the loose fibers through the action of heat, moisture, chemicals, and pressure without spinning, weaving, or knitting
b. : a firm woven cloth of wool or cotton heavily napped and shrunk to form a smooth resilient texture and used widely by manufacturers especially of printing presses, pianos, and textiles
2.
a. : an article of felt cloth ; especially : a soft hat made of felt
b. : a length of felt used as protective or absorbent padding especially in industry — see silence cloth
3. : any of several materials resembling felt in composition: as
a. : a heavy paper of organic or asbestos fibers impregnated with asphalt and used in building construction (as under shingling)
b. : pressed boards of rags or old paper used as insulation (as in a refrigerator)
c. : sheets of semirigid pressed fiber insulation used under the sheathing of a building or between rough and finish flooring
4.
a. : a blanket of absorbent material (as wool) between pairs of which wet sheets of handmade paper are pressed in papermaking
b. : an endless belt commonly of textile material on which a web is carried (as after leaving the wire) in a papermaking machine
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English felten, from felt, n.
transitive verb
1. : to make into felt or a substance like felt
2. : to cause to adhere and mat together (as the fibers in paper)
3. : to cover with felt
felt cylinder
a felted roof
intransitive verb
: to become felted — sometimes used with up
musn't felt up after repeated washing — Punch
III.
past of feel