I. ˈfläs, ˈflȯs noun
( -es )
Etymology: from or akin to Dutch vlos; akin to Middle Low German vlūs fleece, flock of wool, Middle High German vlus, vlius fleece, Danish flos floss, Swedish dialect floss long flock of wool — more at fleece
1. : waste or short silk fibers that cannot be reeled ; especially : the short loose threads that form the outer part of the silkworm's cocoon
2.
a. : soft loosely twisted thread of silk or mercerized cotton used chiefly for embroidery
b. : dental floss
c. : a lightweight loosely twisted wool knitting yarn
3. : a fluffy fibrous mass of material
floss candy
as
a. : silk cotton ; especially : kapok
b. : vegetable silk
c. : corn silk
d. : cotton staple
4.
a. : something or someone showy or stylish
b. : people of fashion
follow the floss to the winter resorts
II. noun
( -es )
Etymology: German, literally, raft, from Old High German flōz — more at float
1. : vitrified oxide or earth floating in a fluid state on the iron in the puddling furnace
2. : floss hole
III. noun
( -es )
Britain : stream
IV. verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
transitive verb
: to use dental floss on
the correct way to floss your teeth
intransitive verb
: to use dental floss to clean between the teeth
everyone knows you should brush, but few know they should floss — Robert Brackett