I. ˈlüm noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English lome, from Old English gelōma tool, utensil; akin to Middle Dutch al lame tool
1. now chiefly Scotland : tool
2. now chiefly Scotland : an open vessel : receptacle
3. : a frame or machine for interlacing at right angles two or more sets of threads or yarns to form a cloth — compare warp , weft
4. : the art or occupation of weaving
sends her for consolation to the loom and distaff — Samuel Johnson
5.
[probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse hlummr handle of an oar]
a. : the part of an oar which is inboard from the oarlock usually including the handle
b. : the part of an oar between the blade and handle
6. : flexible tubing usually nonmetallic for protecting and insulating electric wires
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: weave
•
- loom the web
III. adjective
Etymology: origin unknown
: moderate in force : gentle — used of a gale
IV. intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: origin unknown
1.
a. : to come into sight especially above the surface (as of the sea or land) in enlarged or distorted and indistinct form often as a result of atmospheric conditions
the foothills were beginning to loom ahead through the dust-haze — E.E.Shipton
could avert a collision should a southbound ship loom out of the murk ahead — R.S.Porteous
the hull of the ship … loomed up suddenly — T.B.Costain
b. : to come into view : make an appearance
the figure of a shepherd suddenly loomed before me — Robert Gibbings
another merchandising consideration … has loomed up during the last few years — American Fabrics
c. : to take shape as an impending occurrence
fit … for the struggle which loomed ahead — Roy Lewis & Angus Maude
d. : to appear in an impressively great or exaggerated form
the … political drives of the Italian people loomed large in prose fiction — T.G.Bergin
the oceans loom large in the visions of those who specialize in geopolitics — R.E.Coker
2. obsolete : to move slowly up and down — used of the sea or a vessel
V. noun
( -s )
1. : the indistinct and exaggerated appearance of something (as land or a ship) seen on the horizon or through fog or darkness
watching for distant sails or the first loom of the land — Sarah O. Jewett
could make out the loom of land in the darkness — G.A.Stansfield
2.
a. : a looming shadow or reflection
the pale gray loom of the stadium — J.J.Godwin
turned and saw the dim loom of the cliffs above me — William Beebe
b. : the glow in the sky created by a light whose beam is below the horizon
VI. noun
( -s )
Etymology: of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian lom loon
1. : loon
2.
a. : auk
b. : guillemot
c. : puffin