WOOLLY


Meaning of WOOLLY in English

I. adjective

also wooly ˈwu̇lē, -li

( woollier also woolier ; woolliest also wooliest )

Etymology: wool (I) + -y, adjective suffix

1.

a. : of, relating to, or bearing wool

a besmocked yokel … with his woolly flock — New York Herald Tribune Book Review

: having the character of wool

although these animals are true sheep, their coat is hairy and not woolly — Natural History

b. : characteristic of wool

the woolly smell of wet mittens — Merle Crowell

2. : resembling wool or that of wool

a woolly fog

a woolly beard

3.

a. : thickly covered with long hair or fuzz

woolly cloth coats

a child's woolly bunny

specifically : lanate

b. of lumber : that dresses with a stringy or fuzzy surface

alder is inclined to be woolly and should be sanded — Andrew Wood & Thomas Linn

4. : wanting in clearness, definiteness, or sharpness of outline : confused , blurry

substitute clear and distinct ideas for vague and woolly ones — F.R.Cowell

woolly thinking

the guides confessed that they were somewhat woolly on dates — Time

: indistinct

the woolly sound of a worn record

woolly lithographs from old plates

5. : marked by a sometimes violent lack of order or restraint ; typically : having the rough virility of the West in frontier times

II. noun

also wool·ie or wooly ˈwu̇lē, -li

( plural woollies or woolies )

Etymology: wool (I) + -y or -ie, n. suffix

1. : a garment made from wool: as

a. chiefly Britain : a woolen sweater

b. : underclothing of knitted wool — usually used in plural

2. West & Australia : sheep

III. noun

or wooly ˈwu̇lē, -li

( plural woollies or woolies )

Etymology: by shortening & alteration

: williwaw

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.