fur
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /fɜː/
ipa: /fɜɹ/
ipa: /fʌr/
ipa: /føː/
note: Liverpool, fair–fur merger
ipa: /feː/
note: Humberside, Teesside, fair–fur merger
ipa: /fɛː/
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)
homophone: fir (fern–fir–fur merger)
homophone: fair
homophone: fare (both fair–fur merger)
Forms: form: furs
Etymology: From Middle English furre, forre, from Anglo-Norman forre, fuerre (“a case; sheath”), from Frankish *fōdar, from Proto-West Germanic *fōdr, from Proto-Germanic *fōdrą (“sheath”) (compare Old English fōdor (“sheaf”), Dutch voering (“lining”), German Futter (“lining”), Gothic 𐍆𐍉𐌳𐍂 (fōdr, “sheath”)), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂-, *poh₂- (“to protect”) (compare Lithuanian piemuō (“protection”), Ancient Greek πῶυ (pôu, “flock”), πῶμα (pôma, “lid”), ποιμήν (poimḗn, “shepherd”), Old Armenian հաւրան (hawran, “herd, flock”), Northern Kurdish pawan (“to watch over”), Sanskrit पाति (pāti, “he watches, protects”).
The verb is from Middle English furren, from Anglo-Norman furrer, forrer, fourrer (“to line, stuff, fill”), from the noun.
Senses: glosses: The hairy coat of various mammal species, especially when fine, soft and thick.
glosses: The hairy skins of animals used as a material for clothing.
examples: text: During the colonial period, Britain used Canada as a major source of furs.
glosses: An animal pelt used to make, trim or line clothing.
examples: November 17, 1716, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, letter to the Countess of Mar
wrapped up in my furs
glosses: A garment made of fur.
glosses: A coating or lining resembling fur in function and/or appearance.
A thick pile of fabric.
glosses: A coating or lining resembling fur in function and/or appearance.
The soft, downy covering on the skin of a peach.
glosses: A coating or lining resembling fur in function and/or appearance.
The deposit formed on the interior of boilers and other vessels by hard water.
glosses: A coating or lining resembling fur in function and/or appearance.
The layer of epithelial debris on a tongue.
topics: government
heraldry
hobbies
lifestyle
monarchy
nobility
politics
coordinate_terms: color
metal
stain
glosses: One of several patterns or diapers used as tinctures, such as ermine and vair.
topics: hobbies
hunting
lifestyle
glosses: Rabbits and hares, as opposed to partridges and pheasants (called feathers).
examples: text: "You want to know what brings furries together?" she asks. "Furs are here because they don't fit in anywhere else. For real furs, this is the only place they feel comfortable."
ref: 2006, Shari Caudron, Who Are You People?:
glosses: A furry, a member of the furry fandom.
glosses: Human body hair, especially when abundant.
glosses: Pubic hair.
glosses: Sexual attractiveness.
Derived terms: all fur and no knickers
all fur coat and no knickers
antifur
babyfur
befur
bodyfur
cat fur
cat-fur
defur
diaperfur
dogfur
dog fur
everyfur
fish fur
fun fur
fur baby
furbaby
furball
furbearer
furbearing
fur-bearing trout
fur beetle
fur burger
furcap
fur cap
fur coat
furcon
furdom
furfag
furfaggotry
furfan
fur farm
fur-flying
furgonomic
furgonomics
furkid
furkind
furless
furlike
furlined
furmeet
fur pie
furpile
furriend
furrier
furry
fur seal
fursecution
furson
fursona
fursonal
fursonality
fursonally
fursuit
furtaker
furtaking
furternity leave
fur trade
fur up
furversion
furvert
hyperfur
kettle fur collector
let the fur fly
littlefur
make the fur fly
newfur
nonfur
somefur
the fur flies
underfur
unfur
watch the fur fly