Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The threads that run crosswise in a woven fabric, at right angles to the warp threads; weft.
- noun The texture of a fabric.
- noun The characteristically deep, gruff bark of a dog.
- noun A sound similar to a woof.
- intransitive verb To make this sound.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The thread that is carried by the shuttle and is woven into the warp by being passed back and forth through successive sheds, or partings made in the warp or lengthwise threads by the action of heddles; the threads that run from side to side of a web; the weft.
- noun Texture; cloth: as. a pall of softest woof.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The threads that cross the warp in a woven fabric; the weft; the filling; the thread usually carried by the shuttle in weaving.
- noun Texture; cloth.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun the set of yarns placed crosswise in a
loom , interlaced with thewarp , carried by theshuttle . - noun A fabric; the texture of a fabric.
- initialism marketing Well Off Older Folks
- initialism agriculture Work on organic farm
- noun The sound a dog makes when
barking . - interjection humorous Expression of strong physical attraction for someone.
- verb To make a woofing sound
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the yarn woven across the warp yarn in weaving
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word woof.
Examples
-
They are then called upon to "weave the warp, and weave the woof," perhaps, with no great propriety; for it is by crossing the _woof_ with the _warp_ that men _weave_ the _web_ or piece; and the first line was dearly bought by the admission of its wretched correspondent, "give ample room and verge enough [198]."
The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. in Nine Volumes Volume the Eighth: The Lives of the Poets, Volume II Samuel Johnson 1746
-
'are called upon to "Weave the warp, and weave the woof," perhaps with no great propriety; for it is by crossing the _woof_ with the _warp_ that men weave the _web_ or piece; and the first line was dearly bought by the admission of its wretched correspondent, "Give ample room and verge enough."
Life of Johnson, Volume 2 1765-1776 James Boswell 1767
-
STRANGER: And the threads which are more loosely spun, having a softness proportioned to the intertexture of the warp and to the degree of force used in dressing the cloth, — the threads which are thus spun are called the woof, and the art which is set over them may be called the art of spinning the woof.
The Statesman 2006
-
STRANGER: Again, if a person were to say that the art of making the warp and the woof was the art of weaving, he would say what was paradoxical and false.
The Statesman 2006
-
The woof is the thread that in weaving is carried by the shuttle through the threads of the "warp" -- here it means the "filling."
Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 10 The Guide Charles Herbert Sylvester
-
And the music still kept spinning and spinning, and finally wove in the color and fragrance and light with its subtile self; and the background of the woof was the hum and murmur of voices, and the continual rustling of feet.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 08, No. 49, November, 1861 Various
-
The thread for the filling (called the woof by the negroes) was reeled from the hank on the winding-blades, upon small canes about four inches long which, when full, were placed in the wooden shuttles.
Home Life in Colonial Days Alice Morse Earle 1881
-
Dear Readers: My mini schnauzer, Cabbie, greets my secretaries each day with a cheerful "woof" (or several) because she knows they will give her a treat (or several)!
Hints From Heloise 2010
-
Woofer requires each "woof" to include a minimum of 1,400 characters, whereas Twitter limits each tweet to just 140.
One year later, Twitter parody site Woofer hits 2 billion characters 2010
-
McCain was diplomatic on his views of same sex marriages ....... at least he didn't "woof" some political explanation to advance his candidacy.
amacleod03 commented on the word woof
To threaten, perhaps a bluff, or perhaps not.
July 27, 2009
adrian commented on the word woof
"Weave we the woof. The thread is spun. The web is wove. The work is done."
— The Bard: A Pindaric Ode
June 4, 2012