Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The fine hair present on the body before puberty.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In botany, the stipe of certain fungi.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin, wool.]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word vellus.

Examples

  • I imagined her hair now as something fine, short, almost like vellus.

    The Magical Thinking of Birds 2010

  • Hair dissipates in the center, in a Christmas tree pattern, and this happens as hormones wane and the strand caliber reverts to that of weaker, vellus hair.

    Simple Skin Beauty Ellen Marmur 2009

  • Hair dissipates in the center, in a Christmas tree pattern, and this happens as hormones wane and the strand caliber reverts to that of weaker, vellus hair.

    Simple Skin Beauty Ellen Marmur 2009

  • The growth of lots of vellus hair, for example, can be a sign of polycystic ovarian syndrome.

    Simple Skin Beauty Ellen Marmur 2009

  • Many Asian women have dark peach fuzz or vellus hairs on their cheeks.

    Simple Skin Beauty Ellen Marmur 2009

  • The growth of lots of vellus hair, for example, can be a sign of polycystic ovarian syndrome.

    Simple Skin Beauty Ellen Marmur 2009

  • Many Asian women have dark peach fuzz or vellus hairs on their cheeks.

    Simple Skin Beauty Ellen Marmur 2009

  • The growth of lots of vellus hair, for example, can be a sign of polycystic ovarian syndrome.

    Simple Skin Beauty Ellen Marmur 2009

  • Hair dissipates in the center, in a Christmas tree pattern, and this happens as hormones wane and the strand caliber reverts to that of weaker, vellus hair.

    Simple Skin Beauty Ellen Marmur 2009

  • Many Asian women have dark peach fuzz or vellus hairs on their cheeks.

    Simple Skin Beauty Ellen Marmur 2009

Comments

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  • Peach fuzz. :)

    August 12, 2008

  • It has a name!! Yay!

    August 12, 2008

  • Wait--not real peach fuzz. It's usually defined as "the fine hair present on the body before puberty," right?

    August 12, 2008

  • Oh. *deflated*

    August 12, 2008

  • That's okay. This is Wordie. We can make it mean whatever we want. Or...we can make up another whole word for literal peach fuzz. :-D

    August 12, 2008

  • Calling actual peach fuzz vellus would be like a figure of speech in reverse. A speech in figure, or something like that.

    August 15, 2008