furn.1
/fəː/, U.S. /fər/ 1. figurative.1621 J. Molle tr. P. Camerarius Liuing Libr. v. xiv. 374 Ill will, envie, grudgings, the right linings and furres of the soule.
a. A trimming or lining for a garment, made of the dressed coat of certain animals (as the ermine, beaver, etc.: see 2); hence, the coat of such animals as a material for trimmings, linings, or entire garments (worn either for warmth or for ornament). Also a garment made of, or trimmed or lined with, this material; now chiefly plural, except as denoting a piece of fur to be worn about the neck.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > lining > fur
fur?a1366
furringc1386
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > trimmings or ornamentation > fur
fur?a1366
foinc1394
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [noun] > made from specific material > fur > article of
fur?a1366
pelurec1400
pelury1543
pelisse1789
pussy1937
?a1366 Romaunt Rose 228 A burnet cote..Furred with no menivere, But with a furre rough of here, Of lambe~skinnes.
1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Rolls) VII. 401 Þei schal were no manere furres.
1418 in F. J. Furnivall Fifty Earliest Eng. Wills (1882) 34 I bequethe..my ffurre of Calabre.
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xviii. 216 Thay ar so gay in furrys fyne.
1551 in J. Strype Eccl. Memorials (1721) II. xxxiii. 539 A fur of black Irish lamb.
1602 J. Marston Antonios Reuenge ii. iii. sig. D3v Thou wrapt in furres..Forbidst the frozen Zone to shudder.
1681 A. Wood Life & Times (1892) II. 525 Blak gownes, fac'd with furr.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth II. 231 The inhabitants go..cloathed in furs or feathers.
1815 W. Scott Lord of Isles ii. vi. 48 The costly furs That erst had deck'd their caps were torn.
1886 H. Caine Son of Hagar ii. xvi Greta had returned to the parlour, muffled in furs.
b. worn as a mark of office or state, and as a badge of certain degrees at the Universities.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > lining > fur > indicating office, state, etc.
fur1637
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > trimmings or ornamentation > fur > types of
gill1445
fur1637
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [noun] > made from specific material > fur > article of > types of
fur1637
mink1932
1637 J. Milton Comus 24 Those budge doctors of the Stoick furre.
1675 T. Otway Alcibiades i. ii. 7 Heavy Gown-men clad in formal Furrs.
1729 D. Waterland Let. in Wks. (1823) X. 320 The picture of Sir William Cecil..in his gown and furs.
a1763 W. Shenstone Oeconomy i, in Wks. Verse & Prose (1764) I. 290 And add strange wisdom to the furs of pow'r.
2.
a. The short, fine, soft hair of certain animals (as the sable, ermine, beaver, otter, bear, etc.) growing thick upon the skin, and distinguished from the ordinary hair, which is longer and coarser. Formerly also, †the wool of sheep.
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the world > animals > mammals > [noun] > parts of > (types of) fur
furc1430
overhair1874
underfur1895
guard hair1913
c1430 J. Lydgate Horse, Goose & Sheep 49 in Polit. Relig. & Love Poems 16 The shepe..berythe furres blake and whyte.
1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Sept. 165 Thy Ball is a bold bigge curre, And could make a iolly hole in theyr furre.
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear viii. 13 This night wherin..The Lyon, and the belly-pinched Wolfe Keepe their furre dry. View more context for this quotation
1733 A. Pope Ess. Man i. 176 To want the strength of Bulls, the Fur of Bears.
1748 Acct. Voy. for Discov. North-west Passage I. 189 Leave the Hair on Skins, where the Fleece or Fir is soft and warm, as Beaver, Otter, &c.
1812 J. Smyth Pract. of Customs ii. 254 Coney Wool, or Rabbits Fur..principally used by hatters.
1847 H. W. Longfellow Evangeline i. ii. 10 Cold would the winter be, for thick was the fur of the foxes.
1868 C. Darwin Variation Animals & Plants I. i. 46 All the cats are covered with short stiff hair instead of fur.
b. figurative in to stroke the fur the wrong way (i.e. to cause irritation); to make the fur fly (originally U.S. slang: see quot. 1848); also the fur flies, etc.
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1663 S. Butler Hudibras: First Pt. i. iii. 184 I'le make the fur Flie 'bout the eares of the old Cur.]
1814 Niles' Reg. VI. 67/2 Smugglers look out, or you will soon see ‘the fur fly’.
1834 D. Crockett Narr. Life ii. 11 I knew very well that I was in a devil of a hobble, for my father had been taking a few horns, and was in a good condition to make the fur fly.
1848 J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms To make the fur fly. To claw; scratch; wound severely. Used figuratively.
1870 M. Bridgman Robert Lynne I. vii. 100 He stroked all the fur the wrong way.
1888 Denver Republican 29 Feb. (Farmer) ‘Wait until the National Committee assembles..and you will see the fur fly from the Cleveland hide’.
1955 M. Gilbert Sky High v. 70 There was a slip-up... There was some fur flew about that, I can tell you.
1963 V. Gielgud Goggle-box Affair viii. 73 A good deal of fur's always flying about Gargantua.
3. plural. Skins of such animals with the fur on them.
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society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > skin or hide > skin with hair attached or fur > [noun]
panec1300
greywork1311
pelure?c1325
furrurea1387
peltrya1450
peltry warea1450
furs1555
bundwork1663
peltage1698
peltries1763
furrieries1784
1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde f. 214 In this lande are many excellent furres, as marterns, sables.
1645 J. Howell Epistolæ Ho-elianæ vi. iii. 9 I shall be carefull to bring with me those Furrs I had instructions for.
1748 Acct. Voy. for Discov. North-west Passage I. 156 The Skins of those Beasts, which are killed in Winter being only of Value, and what we call Firs.
1828 W. Scott Fair Maid of Perth iv, in Chron. Canongate 2nd Ser. III. 65 This his old host and friend, with whom he had transacted many bargains for hides and furs.
1836 W. Irving Astoria III. 168 Mr. Clarke accordingly packed all his furs on twenty-eight horses.
4. Heraldry. A tincture representing tufts upon a plain ground, or patches of different colours supposed to be sewn together.The eight principal furs are ermine, ermines, erminois, pean, vair, countervair, potent, and counterpotent.
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society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > heraldic tincture > [noun] > fur
fur1610
white1688
miniver?1828
1610 J. Guillim Display of Heraldrie i. iv. 12 Furres (vsed in Armes) are taken for the skinnes of certaine beasts stripped from the bodies, and artificially trimmed, for the furring, doubling, or lining of Roabes and Garments.
1708 J. Chamberlayne Magnæ Britanniæ Notitia (ed. 22) i. iii. iii A Viscount's mantle hath two doublings and a half of plain white fur.
1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique Furs, in Heraldry are used in the Doublings of Mantles pertaining to a Coat of Arms, and sometimes to the Coat itself: They are usually of two Colours.
1766 M. A. Porny Elem. Heraldry (1787) vi. 226 The doubling of Mantlings with Furs.
1882 J. E. Cussans Handbk. Heraldry (ed. 3) iii. 55 Furs are known by the name of Doublings, when used in the linings of mantles; but when coming under the denomination of Tinctures, they are called each by their respective name.
5. collective. Furred animals. Also in phrase fur and feather. See feather n. 4.
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1827 R. Pollok Course of Time I. v. 253 Hunted thence the fur To Labrador.
1875 ‘Stonehenge’ Man. Brit. Rural Sports (ed. 12) i. i. vii. §7. 106 They will readily hunt fur when nothing else is to be had.
1884 St. James's Gaz. 7 Aug. 4/2 Farmers..find it somewhat difficult to carry on their coursing meetings because of the scarcity of fur.
6.
a. Applied to something resembling fur or adhering to a surface like fur; e.g. a coat or crust of mould, of deposit from wine, etc.
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1842 C. J. Lever Jack Hinton in Dublin Univ. Mag. Mar. 318/2 The ill-omened fur one sees on an antiquated apple-pie.
1852 L. A. Meredith My Home in Tasmania I. ix. 134 Projecting ridges [in shells], fringed beneath like the fur of a mushroom.
1856 C. Dickens Little Dorrit (1857) i. v. 40 Empty wine-bottles with fur and fungus choking up their throats.
1864 Webster's Amer. Dict. Eng. Lang. Fur..the soft, downy covering on the skin of a peach.
1877 W. Black Green Pastures xix Covered the thick top-coats of the two men with a fur of wet.
b. esp. A coating formed on the tongue in certain diseased conditions of the body.
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1693 J. Dryden tr. Persius Satires iii. 39 My Pulse unequal, and my Breath is strong; Besides, a filthy Fur upon my Tongue.
1783 S. Chapman in Med. Communications 1 277 Her tongue had a whitish fur on it.
1801 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 5 508 Her tongue, teeth, and lips were covered with a black fur.
1849–52 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. IV. ii. 1139/2 Variation in the quantity of fur on the tongue from day to day.
c. A coating or crust formed by the deposit of carbonate of lime on the interior surface of a kettle, boiler, etc.
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1805 W. Saunders Treat. Mineral Waters (ed. 2) 38 Boiling..drives off the excess of carbonic acid, and thus causes the chalk to be precipitated; hence the earthy crust, or furr, on kettles.
1837 Mechanics' Mag. 28 96 An invention for dissolving the ‘fur’ which collects in kettles and boilers.
1865 Pall Mall Gaz. 7 July 7/2 For the purpose of removing the fur from the steam boiler.
7. Carpentry. (See quot. 1703) Cf. furring n. 3b, fur v. 6.
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1703 R. Neve City & Countrey Purchaser 146 When Rafters are..sunk hollow in the middle, and pieces (cut thickest in the middle, and to a point at each end) are nail'd upon them to make them straight again..those pieces so put on are call'd Furrs.
1858–9 J. Weale Rudim. Dict. Terms Archit. (ed. 2) 204/1 Fuor, among carpenters, a piece nailed upon a rafter to strengthen it when decayed.
Compounds
C1. attributive or as adj. Made of fur.
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1597 J. Skene De Verborum Significatione at Bullion Ilk serplaith of furfelles, con. 4000 .iiij. ounce.
1712 J. Warder True Amazons 61 A Velvet Cape or Fur Gorget about her Shoulders.
1792 Descript. Kentucky 49 Fur-muffs and tippets.
1884 Chambers's Jrnl. 5 Jan. 10/1 The dogs..should then be protected by fur-boots.
1885 Girl's Own Paper Jan. 202/1 Fur balls, fur fringe, and fur tails seem the most usual finish on all mantles.
C2. General attributive.
a.
fur company n.
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1818 Niles' Reg. 15 19/2 A small canal has been opened..by the North West fur company.
1880 Scribner's Monthly May 125/1 Trappers and hunters for the fur companies would have thought themselves in paradise could they have seen our stores in '74.
fur-farm n.
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1914 Outing Dec. 345/1 A manager of a fur farm must have a liking for animals.
1961 New Scientist 23 Feb. 460/3 Many types of animals being bred at fur~farms are particularly sensitive to the..noise created by subsonic aircraft, and the sudden nature of sonic bangs might cause still greater losses than the fur-farmers have so far experienced.
fur-farmer n.
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1914 Outing Dec. 343/1 The trade must look to the fur-farmer for a considerable portion of its supply.
fur-farming n.
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1911 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 12 Apr. 5/4 This is nothing less than fur farming on an extensive scale, the breeding of marten being specialized.
1923 J. C. Sachs Furs & Fur Trade 92 Fur farming..is one of the oldest of occupations.
fur-hunting n.
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1819 L. A. Anspach Hist. Island Newfoundland xiv. 378 This fur-hunting employs a great number of persons.
1919 W. T. Grenfell Labrador Doctor (1920) xiii. 238 The only trouble with..fur-hunting is that its very nature limits its supply.
fur-sewer n.
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1896 Mrs. H. Ward Sir George Tressady xi. 227 Tailoresses and shirtmakers and fur-sewers.
fur trade n.
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society > trade and finance > specific types of trade > [noun] > trade in skins or furs
skin trade1698
peltry trade1722
fur trade1732
fellmongery1759
furring1778
1732 L. Armstrong Let. 11 Sept. in Cal. State Papers: Amer. & W. Indies (1939) 255 They..engross the whole management of the fur trade.
1807 P. Gass Jrnls. 65 This and Hudson's Bay Company..carry on almost the whole of the fur trade in that extensive country.
1837 W. Irving Adventures Capt. Bonneville I. 42 People connected with the fur trade.
1911 N. Amer. Rev. Mar. 396 Astor's experience in the fur trade..enabled him to plan on a vast scale.
fur-trader n.
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1815 Kingston (Upper Canada) Gaz. 8 July 1/3 Conveying goods for the fur traders.
1837 Southern Lit. Messenger 3 63 The usual route of the fur-trader.
a1862 H. D. Thoreau Maine Woods (1864) i. 11 One small leaden bullet, and some colored beads, the last to be referred, perhaps, to early fur-trader days.
fur-trading n.
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society > trade and finance > specific types of trade > [adjective] > trading in furs
fur-trading1841
1841 G. Catlin Lett. N. Amer. Indians II. xxxv. 29 St. Louis..is the great depot of all the Fur Trading Companies to the Upper Missouri and Rocky Mountains.
1911 C. R. L. Fletcher & R. Kipling School Hist. Eng. ix. 169 We had a whale-fishing and fur-trading station in Hudson Bay.
b. Objective.
fur-dressing n.
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1888 Daily News 21 Sept. 7/2 A fur-dressing patent.
c. Instrumental.
fur-bordered adj.
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1903 Westm. Gaz. 8 Oct. 4/2 The fur-bordered, serrated lace collar.
fur-bound adj.
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1898 Westm. Gaz. 18 Nov. 3/2 A fur-bound coat.
fur-clad adj.
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1785 W. Cowper Task v. 129 Imperial mistress of the fur-clad Russ!
1842 T. B. Macaulay Prophecy of Capys in Lays Anc. Rome 191 Where fur-clad hunters wander Amidst the northern ice.
fur-lined adj.
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1886 W. J. Tucker Life E. Europe 202 He muffled himself in his fur-lined cloak.
fur-muffled adj.
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1905 Westm. Gaz. 16 Jan. 2/1 Sleighs with fur-muffled occupants.
fur-topped adj.
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1928 Daily Express 11 Oct. 5/5 Russian boot..fur-topped, fleece-lined.
fur-trimmed adj.
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1861 G. A. Spottiswoode in F. Galton Vacation Tourists & Trav. 1860 98 Long, straight, fur-trimmed coats.
1898 Westm. Gaz. 4 Nov. 3/1 The Common Councillors..in their fur~trimmed robes.
fur-wrapped adj.
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1895 R. Kipling Second Jungle Bk. 151 He and his master..hunted together,..fur-wrapped boy and savage,..yellow brute.
fur-wrought adj.
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1720 J. Gay Rural Sports i, in Poems I. 17 Let me less cruel cast the feather'd hook..And with the fur-wrought fly delude the prey.
d. Parasynthetic.
fur-capped adj.
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1887 J. Ashby-Sterry Lazy Minstrel (1892) 68 Here comes a stout, fur-capped Mossoo.
fur-collared adj.
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1856 C. J. Lever Martins of Cro' Martin 136 A grey cloth spencer being drawn over his coat, fur-collared and cuffed.
fur-cuffed adj.
fur-gowned adj.
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1757 J. G. Cooper Apol. Aristippus iii. 160 The..fur-gown'd Pedants' bookish Rules.
C3. Special combinations.† fur-man n. slang Obsolete (see quot.).
fur-bearer n. an animal that yields a fur of (commercial) value; so fur-bearing adj.
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the world > animals > mammals > [noun] > parts of > (types of) fur > animals having
fur-bearer1876
fluffy1889
1876 J. Burroughs Winter Sunshine (1883) iv. 91 The fox..furnishes, perhaps, the only instance..of a fur-bearing animal..that actually increases in the face of the means that are used for its extermination.
1906 E. Ingersoll Life Animals: Mammals 162 The Fur Bearers..the martens, weasels, badgers, ratels, skunks, otters and their kin of the family Mustelidæ.
1936 Discovery Jan. 30/2 To slaughter fur-bearing animals for Broadway shops.
1941 J. S. Huxley Uniqueness of Man viii. 186 Direct destruction may be for commercial gain, as with whales, egrets, or fur-bearers.
fur-cloth n.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric manufactured in specific way > [noun] > made in imitation of other fabrics > imitation fur
fur-cloth1928
fur-fabric1938
1928 Daily Express 23 June 5/1 Fur-cloth is specially made to imitate fur, and can be used for all furry animals.
1944 M. Laski Love on Supertax v. 57 Four little boys in everyday clothes topped by fur-cloth Cossack hats.
fur-fabric n. (see quot. 1928 for fur-cloth n.).
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric manufactured in specific way > [noun] > made in imitation of other fabrics > imitation fur
fur-cloth1928
fur-fabric1938
1938 Decorative Art 57/1 Armchairs with imitation fur fabric upholstery.
1952 Vogue Dec. 126/1 (advt.) For Coats: Velours, Fancy and Check Tweeds, Fur Fabrics.
1968 Guardian 22 Oct. 7/3 Gabardine coats lined with a light-weight fur fabric.
fur felt n. a felt fabric, deeply napped to give a fur-like effect.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > made from mixed fibres > [noun] > wool and hair or fur > types of
numdah1819
fur felt1897
melusine1908
1897 Sears, Roebuck Catal. 232/1 The newest shape, black stiff, fur felt hat.
1971 Guardian 4 Jan. 7/3 When Mr. Patey's firm makes an Ascot hat it is a proper ‘pullover’—grey fur felt pulled over a gossamer frame.
fur-fever n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disorder of respiratory organs > [noun] > disorders of lungs > caused by dust or fibre
stone-cutter's disease or phthisis1540
phthisis1821
black lung1837
anthracosis1838
shoddy fever1851
potter's consumption1863
siderosis1869
collier's phthisis1871
iron lung1872
chalicosis1878
pneumonoconiosis1878
tabacosis1879
byssinosis1881
pneumoconiosis1881
silicosis1881
potter's rot1895
fur-fever1905
stonemason's lung1905
asbestosis1927
anthracosilicosis1929
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis1935
bagassosis1941
bagasse1943
berylliosis1943
thesaurosis1958
1905 Pearson's Mag. July 102/2 Bronchial catarrh, and ‘fur fever’..are both caused by inhaling this ‘fluff’ and dust.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > office > holder of office > magistrate > municipal magistrate > [noun] > alderman
aldermanc1330
fur-man1699
1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew Fur-men, Aldermen.
1725 in New Canting Dict.
fur-moth n. (see quots.).
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the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > Heterocera > [noun] > family Tineidae > clothes-moth > tinea pellionella (fur-moth)
fur-moth1842
1842 T. W. Harris Treat. Insects New Eng. 360 The fur-moth (Tinea pellionella).
1938 L. Hunter Domest. Pests xvii. 154 The case-bearing clothes-moth (Tinea pellionella), sometimes called the fur moth or the single spotted clothes-moth.
fur-puller n. (see quot.); so fur-pulling n.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with skins > [noun] > furriery > specific processes
secretage1791
fur-pulling1886
tail-twisting1887
pointing1900
stranding1935
society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > workers with specific materials > worker with skins or hides > [noun] > worker with furs > involved in specific process
beaver-cutter1725
Northman1793
fur-puller1886
puller1890
pointer1929
1886 Daily News 13 Dec. 5/5 A widow, working at fur pulling.
1891 Labour Commission Gloss. Fur-pullers, those who scrape the loose down off rabbit and other skins, and do various minor parts of fur-making.
fur seal n. the seal which affords the valuable fur known as seal-skin.
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the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > order Pinnipedia (seal, sea lion, or walrus) > [noun] > family Ostaridae (eared seal) > genus Callorhinus (fur-seal)
sea-cat1764
sea-bear1771
fur seal1776
ursine seal1784
1776 W. Clayton in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 66 102 The furr seal has its name from its coat, which is a fine soft furr, and is thinner skinned than any of the others.
1883 Official Catal. Internat. Fisheries Exhib. (ed. 4) 191 Group of Fur Seals..stuffed Ribbon Seal..cast of Harbour Seal.
Draft additions June 2006
furball n. (a) a furry animal (often used affectionately); (b) an accumulation of fur ingested by animal, esp. a cat, while grooming itself, and then regurgitated in compacted form.
ΚΠ
1920 A. P. Terhune Bruce i. 6 It was cold, at night, with no other cuddly little fur-ball to snuggle down to.
1950 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald 4 May 12/5 From the start he ran into trouble with the dogs. This is their territory and no black and white little furball is going to cut in.
1974 M. W. Fox Understanding your Cat vi. 146 Grooming helps prevent fur balls.
2002 J. Johnson Living with Shih Tzu iii. 35 Shih Tzus self-groom like cats, and furballs are a problem in the breed.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1898; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
furn.2
/fəː/, U.S. /fər/ ? Obsolete.
= box n.2 7.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicles according to means of motion > vehicle moving on wheels > [noun] > parts of vehicle moving on wheels > axle > cylinder surrounding axle
fur1740
1740 London Mag. 382/1 While a Wheel is turning round once, all the Parts of the Fur or Box in the Nave, rub against the Axletree..The Fur or Box in the hinder Wheels, is no bigger than the Fur or Box in the fore Wheels. Now, if the hind Wheels be as high again as the fore ones..the rubbing round the Fur or Box in the hind Wheels, will carry the Load twice as far as the fore Wheels.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1898; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
furn.3
/fəː/, U.S. /fər/ dialect.
= furze n. Chiefly in combination, as fur-bill, fur-bush (-busk), fur-stack; fur chuck n. the bird furze-chat.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > thorn-tree or -bush > [noun] > gorse or furze
gorsec725
furzec888
whinc1400
fur1440
quice tree1440
whin-bush1483
furzen bush1530
thorn-broom1578
thorny broom1597
fursell1639
dwarf furze1650
French furze1659
ulex1753
the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > family Muscicapidae (thrushes, etc.) > subfamily Turdinae > [noun] > genus Saxicola > saxicola rubetra (whinchat)
stone-check1668
stone-smatch1668
whinchat1678
stonechat1783
stone-chatter1783
grasschat1805
furze-chat1839
tick1848
stone-chacker1853
furze-hacker1862
fur chuck1885
stone-clink1885
tec-tec1886
1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 162/1 Fyyre, sharpe brusche (K. firre, whynne, P. fyir or qwynne), saliunca.
c1540 R. Morice in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eminent Literary Men (1843) 24 A gentilman..toke a fyrre bushe on..a pitche-fork, and being all sett on fyer thruste it into his moth.
1562 W. Bullein Bk. Simples f. 69, in Bulwarke of Defence The Brome and the Whin or Furre bushe.
1606 L. Bryskett Disc. Ciuill Life 22 He that shooteth at a starre, aimeth higher then he that shooteth at a furbush.
1870 E. Peacock Ralf Skirlaugh II. 13 We are guarding the place now with duck-guns, fur-bills, and other spears.
1885 C. Swainson Provinc. Names Brit. Birds 11 Whinchat (Pratincola rubetra)..Furr chuck (Norfolk).
1889 E. Peacock Gloss. Words Manley & Corringham, Lincs. (ed. 2) Fur-bill, a bill-hook: perhaps a furze-bill. Fur-busk, a bush of gorse. Fur-stack, a stack of gorse.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1898; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
furv.
/fəː/, U.S. /fər/ 1. figurative.1648 T. Gage Eng.-Amer. xiv. 96 A Supper, that should strongly support our empty stomacks, and furre and line them well for the next foure and twenty houres.
a. transitive. To line, trim, or cover (a garment) with fur.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > tailor or make clothes [verb (transitive)] > other
fur13..
buttonc1380
lashc1440
pointa1470
set1530
tuft1535
vent1547
ruff1548
spangle1548
string1548
superbody1552
to pull out1553
quilt1555
flute1578
seam1590
seed1604
overtrim1622
ruffle1625
tag1627
furbelow1701
tuck1709
flounce1711
pipe1841
skirt1848
ruche1855
pouch1897
panel1901
stag1902
create1908
pin-fit1926
ease1932
pre-board1940
post-board1963
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > tailor or make clothes [verb (transitive)] > line > in specific way
fur13..
interline1480
13.. K. Alis. 5474 The kyng dude of his robe, furred with meneuere.
?a1366 Romaunt Rose 228 A burnet cote..Furred with no menivere, But with a furre rough of here, Of lambe~skinnes.
a1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 30 Y wolle furre her gowne, coleres, sleues, and cotes, the here outwarde.
c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) xlviii. 160 They gaue her..a mantell furryd with ermyns.
1598 R. Hakluyt tr. W. de Rubruquis in Princ. Navigations (new ed.) I. 98 The rich Tartars somtimes fur their gowns with pelluce or silke shag.
1696 tr. J. Dumont New Voy. Levant 266 In Winter 'tis furr'd with a Skin, call'd Samour.
1841 J. L. Motley Let. 18 Nov. in Corr. (1889) I. iv. 73 A pair of fur boots (furred on both sides).
1842 W. H. Ainsworth Tower of London ii. i A robe of violet-coloured velvet, furred with powdered ermine.
b. To serve as a lining or trimming for.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [verb (transitive)] > serve as a lining or trimming for
fur1575
1575 G. Gascoigne Noble Arte Venerie lxxii. 198 His [sc. Raynard's] case will serue to fur the cape of master huntsmans gowne.
1631 T. Powell Tom of All Trades 165 As many Fox-skins as will furre his Long-lane gowne.
2.
a. To clothe or adorn (a person) with fur.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > providing with clothing > provide with clothing [verb (transitive)] > in specific way > in specific material
fur?1370
befur1470
feather1483
case1582
kersey1628
flannel1778
?1370 Robt. Cicyle 56 The aungelle..clad them alle in clothys of pryse, And furryd them with armyne.
a1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 30 She shalle be beter purfiled and furred thanne other ladies and gentille women.
a1533 Ld. Berners tr. A. de Guevara Golden Bk. M. Aurelius (1546) sig. I.j I am furred with the furres that thou hast sent me.
1812 Examiner 12 Oct. 652/2 So to ribband, to fur, to tassel, and to fringe..men is..degrading their humanity.
1815 W. Scott Guy Mannering I. xx. 314 Miss Mannering was furred and mantled up to the throat.
1886 Tinsley's Mag. July 49 It was the 29th May..and still the fair were furred.
b. passive. Of an animal or his skin: To be covered with fur. Also figurative.
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1651 Poem in T. Fuller Abel Redevivus 383 Rare Fox (well furr'd with patience).
1823 W. Scoresby Jrnl. Voy. Northern Whale-fishery 109 The skin which was very white, and well furred.
3. To coat or cover with fur or morbid matter. to fur up: to stop up or ‘clog’ with this.
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the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > dirtiness > pollution or defilement > pollute or defile [verb (transitive)] > incrust or fur
fur1593
1593 T. Nashe Christs Teares 31 a Her Alablaster walls were all furred and fome-painted, with the bespraying of mens braines.
1601 J. Marston et al. Iacke Drums Entertainm. i. sig. A3 Ye shall haue me an emptie caske thats furd With nought but barmy froath.
1669 W. Simpson Hydrologia Chymica 354 A rejected Sordes of the blood, which furs up the Orifices.
1700 J. Addison Milton's Stile Imitated iii, in Misc. Wks. (1726) I. 60 The walls On all sides furr'd with mouldy damps.
1792 S. Ireland Picturesque Views Thames II. 89 This water has the property of not furring any vessel it is boiled in.
1839 W. B. Stonehouse Hist. Isle of Axholme 25 It [the water]..furs every thing in which it is kept.
1863 J. Tyndall Heat xi. 375 The surface of the vessel..is now white-furred all over with hoar-frost.
4. † b. to fur up: to become fluffy. Obsolete.
a. intransitive. To become furred or coated with morbid matter. Also, to collect as fur. to fur up: to become ‘clogged’ with fur.
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the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > dirtiness > pollution or defilement > be polluted [verb (intransitive)] > become incrusted or furred
fur1550
1550 T. Becon Fortresse of Faythfull Prol. A vij b Nowadayes ye archedecons aske not for ye pore..but whether ye hosts be wel kept in ye pyxe from moulding & furring.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. 520 Take it forth, and scrape from it the mouldinesse or vinewing that doth furre or gather about it.
1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια 401 A little skill to cleere and dresse the wheeles may keepe this watch of his life [the heart] in motion, which otherwise will furre vp and stand in his dissolution.
1648 R. Herrick Hesperides sig. E Teeth..Which though they furre, will neither ake, or rot.
1649 W. Blith Eng. Improver lx. 54 The better will they [Spades] rid off worke by far..and not fur and clog with Earth.
1716 E. Baynard Health 5 For too much Meat, the Bowels furr.
1743 W. Ellis London & Country Brewer (ed. 2) III. 245 Their rough Inside, that is sooner apt to furr, taint and leak.
1898 N.E.D. at Fur Mod. This kettle soon furs.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > thread or yarn > [verb (intransitive)] > become fluffy
to fur up1825
1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 395 The thread is slightly twisted, in order to enable it to bear the action of the hot liquor without the fibres separating or furring up.
5. transitive. To clean off the fur of (a boiler).
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the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > cleaning other miscellaneous things > clean other miscellaneous things [verb (transitive)] > remove fur, scale, etc., from
fur1867
descale1875
rock1880
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Furring the boilers, in a steamer, cleaning off the incrustation or sediment which forms on their inner surfaces.
6. Carpentry. To fix strips of wood to (floor-timbers, rafters, etc.) in order to bring them to a level, or to the required surface. Also with off. (Cf. fur n.1 7.)
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society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > constructing or working with wood > build or construct with wood [verb (transitive)] > other processes
makec1450
rough-hew1530
rip1532
stick1573
list1635
frame1663
fur1679
beard1711
cord1762
butt1771
drill1785
joint1815
rend1825
broach1846
ross1853
flitch1875
bore1887
stress-grade1955
1679 [implied in: J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. ix. Explan. Terms 167 Furrings, the making good of the Rafters Feet in the Cornice. (at furring n. 3b)].
1703 [implied in: R. Neve City & Countrey Purchaser 146 When Rafters are..sunk hollow in the middle, and pieces (cut thickest in the middle, and to a point at each end) are nail'd upon them to make them straight again; the putting on of those pieces is call'd Furring the Rafters. (at furring n. 3b)].
1823 [implied in: P. Nicholson New Pract. Builder 223 Furrings, slips of timber nailed to joists or rafters, in order to bring them to a level. (at furring n. 3b)].
1842 J. Gwilt Encycl. Archit. Gloss. 977 at Furring The timbers of a floor, though level at first, oftentimes require to be furred.
1852 P. Nicholson's Encycl. Archit. I. 436.
1891 Scribner's Mag. Sept. 312/1 Some sod walls are furred off, lathed, and plastered.
7. (? nonce-use after French fourrer). To foist or thrust in.
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1592 F. Bacon Disc. in Praise of Sovereign in Spedding Life I. 134 But only by furring in audacious persons into sundry governments.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1898; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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