woofn.1
/wuːf/, U.S. /wʊf/, /wuf/ 1.
a. The threads that cross from side to side of a web, at right angles to the warp: = weft n.1 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > threads in process of weaving > [noun] > weft
weftc725
woofc725
abbeOE
shoot1717
shute1721
filling1812
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric manufactured in specific way > [noun] > woven > thread(s) > weft
woofc725
score1712
α.
β. 1530 Bible (Tyndale) Lev. xiii. f. xxiii Whether it be in the warpe or wolfe of the lynen or of the wollen.1570 P. Levens Manipulus Vocabulorum sig. Nii/2 Ye Woofe of a web, subtegmen.1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §846 As it is in the Warpe, and the Woofe, of Textiles.1657 J. Trapp Comm. Psalms xv. 2 Such, as through whose whole lives godliness runneth, as the Woof doth through the Warp.1657 C. Beck Universal Char. sig. M2v The weafe or woof of cloth.1714 tr. French Bk. of Rates 188 The Workmen shall not make Use, neither in the Warp or the Woof,..of any Yarn of a different Quality.1780 A. Young Tour Ireland (Dublin ed.) I. 324 Threads thrown across by the shuttle are called the wooft.1802 J. Baillie 1st Pt. Ethwald iii. iv But tell them, British matrons cross the woof With coarser hands than theirs.1875 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) V. 76 In a web the warp is stronger than the woof.c725 Corpus Gloss. (Hessels) C 467 Cladica, wefl uel owef.
c1050 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 364/23 Cladica, wefl, oððe owef, oððe claudica.
c1200 MS. Bodl. 730 lf. 145/1 Subtemen, of.
1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) Lev. xiii. 47 A wullun clooth, or lynnen, that hath a lepre in the oof, or in the werpe.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xviii. xi. 1139 Whanne þe werk [perhaps read werp] is ydrawe and yleyde, þanne he bigynneþ fro þe myddil poynt and goþ round aboute wiþ þe oof.
14.. in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 628/1 Subtegmen, [gloss warpe], sic quoque stamen, [gloss offe].
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 362/1 Oof, threde for webbynge, trama.
1553 J. Withals Shorte Dict. f. 36/2 The warpe, stamen. The ofe, subtegmen.
1599 J. Minsheu Percyvall's Dict. Spanish & Eng. at Lizos The owfe or thread of linnen.
1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 337 To spoole, winde quils, lay his warpe, shoot oufe.
b. figurative and in figurative context, often in collocation with warp.
Π
1583 B. Melbancke Philotimus (new ed.) sig. Ii To..wrappe vp his life~warpes woofe with so euill a liste.
1596 T. Nashe Haue with you to Saffron-Walden sig. M2 The proces of that Oration, was of the same woofe and thrid with the beginning.
1627 W. Hawkins Apollo Shroving i. i. 8 Where euery English thread is ouer~cast with a thicke woollen woofe of strange wordes.
1757 T. Gray Ode II ii. i, in Odes 15 Weave the warp, and weave the woof, The winding-sheet of Edward's race.
1849 F. W. Robertson Serm. (1866) 1st Ser. xxi. 348 Sorrow is..the..woof which is woven into the warp of life.
1863 ‘G. Eliot’ Romola I. xix. 315 That commerce of feigned and preposterous admiration which..made the woof of all learned intercourse.
1882 M. E. Braddon Mt. Royal II. 19 The woof of self-interest is so cunningly interwoven with the warp of righteous feeling that very few of us can tell where the threads cross.
2. Thread used to make the woof; also in vague poetical use.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > thread or yarn > [noun] > for weaving > for the weft
woof?1529
weft1795
weft yarn1835
weft thread1843
?1529 R. Hyrde tr. J. L. Vives Instr. Christen Woman i. iii. sig. C.iiij To warpe, or els wynde spyndels in a case for to throw wofe of.
1598 R. Bernard tr. Terence Heautontimoroumenos ii. iii, in Terence in Eng. 212 The old wife shee spun the woufe.
1637 J. Milton Comus 4 First I must put off These my skie robes spun out of Iris wooffe.
1638 Burgh Rec. Glasgow (1876) 388 Thair suld be no woovis wovin of townis folkis thairin.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost xi. 244 Iris had dipt the wooff . View more context for this quotation
1892 H. R. Haggard Nada the Lily xi Did I weave these visions from the woof of my madness?
3. A woven fabric, esp. as being of a particular texture: = weft n.1 3; also, the texture of a fabric. Often transferred or figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric manufactured in specific way > [noun] > woven
webOE
webOE
wefta1398
stuff1462
tissue1565
weave1581
contexture1603
textile1626
texturea1656
woof1674
webbing1739
fabric1753
mail net1875
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric manufactured in specific way > [noun] > woven > texture of
woof1674
1674 N. Fairfax Treat. Bulk & Selvedge 74 That woof and plight that the whole ticklish frame of worldly beings are wheel'd into at such a tide of day [viz. dawn].
1674 N. Fairfax Treat. Bulk & Selvedge 74 That we can sometimes force bodies to close with the woof or tenor of the whole.
1725 E. Fenton in A. Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey I. iv. 164 To spread the pall beneath the regal chair Of softest woof.
1757 J. Dyer Fleece iii. 85 Curious woofs of beauteous hue.
1791 W. Cowper tr. Homer Odyssey in Iliad & Odyssey II. xix. 173 A robe..of subtlest woof.
1811 W. Scott Don Roderick xxiv. 29 Flames dart their glare o'er midnight's sable woof.
1820 J. Keats Lamia ii, in Lamia & Other Poems 41 There was an awful rainbow once in heaven: We know her woof, her texture.
1826 J. Baillie Martyr ii. ii The very spider through his circled cage Of wiry woof,..Scarce seems a lothly thing.
1838 E. Bulwer-Lytton Alice II. v. v. 147 That girl's thread of life has been the dark line in my woof.
1846 E. Bulwer-Lytton Lucretia III. ii. xviii. 134 The Parcæ closed the abrupt woof, and lifted the impending shears.
1866 E. Bulwer-Lytton Lost Tales Miletus, Secret Way 4 The woofs of Phrygian looms.
1871 W. C. Bryant tr. Homer Odyssey I. v. 136 Receive this veil, and bind its heavenly woof Beneath thy breast.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > manufacture of textile fabric > [noun] > weaving
webbinga1325
weaving1377
texture1447
endrapering1461
loom-work1598
contexture1649
textury1658
loom1678
woof1700
weavering1720
tissue1850
1700 J. Dryden tr. Ovid Ceyx & Alcyone in Fables 370 Alcyone..hastens in the Woof the Robes he was to wear.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1928; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
woofv.1
/wuːf/, U.S. /wʊf/, /wuf/ rare.
transitive. To arrange (threads) so as to form a woof; to weave. Also transferred.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > manufacture of textile fabric > [verb (transitive)] > weave
biwevec1300
drape1436
draper1436
weave1538
indrape1622
woof1894
1894 Alice C. Macdonell in Lyra Celtica (1896) 252 Woof well the cross threads, To make the colours shine.
1922 Blackwood's Mag. July 6/2 The fearful tangle of vegetation, warped and woofed together by lianas and creeping plants.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1928; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
woofv.2
/wʊf/, U.S. /wʊf/ 1. (Of a dog) to utter a gruff abrupt bark.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Canidae > dog > [verb (intransitive)] > bark
barkc885
galec1275
abayc1400
baffc1440
bawl1556
waff1570
baugh1576
prate1592
gladish1608
waffle1698
yamph1718
woof1804
allatrate1806
yaff1808
bow-wow1832
yaffle1847
kyoodle1935
1804 W. Tarras Poems 59 (Jam.) Curs began to wouff an' bark.
1932 E. M. Brent-Dyer Chalet Girls in Camp vi. 97 Rufus..crossed the meadow at his best pace, woofing indignantly at intervals.
1955 V. Nabokov Lolita II. xxviii. 171 A nondescript cur came out from behind the house, stopped in surprise, and started goodnaturedly woof-woofing at me, his eyes slit, his shaggy belly all muddy, and then walked about a little and woofed once more.
1974 Publishers Weekly 5 Aug. 53/3 His attempt suggests a puppy woofing at a caterpillar—but keeping a safe distance.
2. U.S. Black English slang. intransitive. To talk (or, transitive, to say) in an ostentatious or aggressive manner.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pride > boasting or boastfulness > boast [verb (intransitive)]
yelpc888
kebc1315
glorify1340
to make avauntc1340
boast1377
brag1377
to shake boastc1380
glorya1382
to make (one's) boastc1385
crackc1470
avaunt1471
glaster1513
voust1513
to make (one's or a) vauntc1515
jet?1521
vaunt?1521
crowa1529
rail1530
devauntc1540
brave1549
vaunt1611
thrasonize1619
vapour1629
ostentate1670
goster1673
flourish1674
rodomontade1681
taper1683
gasconade1717
stump1721
rift1794
mang1819
snigger1823
gab1825
cackle1847
to talk horse1855
skite1857
to blow (also U.S. toot) one's own horn1859
to shoot off one's mouth1864
spreadeagle1866
swank1874
bum1877
to sound off1918
woof1934
to shoot a line1941
to honk off1952
to mouth off1958
blow-
the mind > emotion > pride > boasting or boastfulness > utter boastfully [verb (transitive)]
avauntc1374
blowc1380
brag1627
vaunt1633
vapour1658
to blow one's own trumpet1854
woof1934
the mind > language > speech > manner of speaking > speak in a particular manner [verb (intransitive)] > speak loudly or angrily
thundera1340
raisec1384
to speak outc1515
jowlc1540
fulmine1623
to talk big1680
tang1686
to speak upa1723
to go ona1753
rip1828
whalea1852
yap1864
to rip and tear1884
megaphone1901
to pop off1914
foghorn1918
to sound off1918
loudmouth1931
woof1934
the mind > language > speech > manner of speaking > say in a particular manner [verb (transitive)] > utter loudly or angrily
yeiea1225
call?c1250
soundc1374
ringa1400
upcasta1400
barkc1440
resound?c1525
blustera1535
brawl1563
thunder1592
out-thunder?1611
peal1611
tonitruate1623
intonatea1631
mouth1700
rip1828
boom1837
explode1839
clamour1856
blare1859
foghorn1886
megaphone1901
gruff1925
loudmouth1931
woof1934
1934 Amer. Speech 9 290/1 [Negro slang.] Woof, to talk much and loudly and yet say little of consequence.
1935 Z. N. Hurston Mules & Men i. iv. 86 The men would crowd in and buy soft drinks and woof at me, the stranger, but I knew I wasn't getting on.
1941 Life 27 Jan. 78 To reinforce a statement, a sub-deb says, I ain't woofin'..which means ‘I'm not fooling’.
1941 Direction Summer 15/2 Stack got all big at the nose and woofed: ‘All right, boss, you either fixes me up with that gin, or I pulls down this bar!’
1972 J. Wambaugh Blue Knight vi. 86 He was woofing me, because he winked at the blond kid.
1974 H. L. Foster Ribbin', Jivin', & Playin' Dozens iv. 140 A student might say, ‘Mr. Foster, he's woofin' on me.’ This may have meant anything from he is challenging me to a fight, to he is making fun of my clothing or my mother.
Derivatives
(In sense 2.)
ˈwoofing n. and adj.
Π
1942 Amer. Mercury July 96/2 Woofing, aimless talk, as a dog barks on a moonlight night.
1969 H. R. Brown in H. L. Foster Ribbin', Jivin', & Playin' Dozens (1974) v. 179 Those young brothers came out of this woofing, diddy-bopping and raising hell period.
1973 B. G. Cooke in T. Kochman Rappin' & Stylin' Out 45 ‘Woofing’ is a style of bragging and boasting about how ‘bad’ one is and is sometimes used by males and females when rapping to each other.
1975 Today's Education Sept.–Oct. 54 Some of the woofin' has been precipitated by Whites trying to hustle Blacks out of goods and materials which have been promised or which are rightfully theirs.
1977 Time 14 Nov. 90/3 Cosby, who has one of the great faces of the Western world, is the best thing in this woofin', shuckin' film.
Draft additions 1993
[Compare wolf v. 1.] transitive. To consume ravenously. Also const. down. colloquial (originally Air Force slang).
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > processes or manners of eating > eat via specific process [verb (transitive)] > eat voraciously
forswallowOE
gulch?c1225
afretea1350
moucha1350
glop1362
gloup1362
forglut1393
worrya1400
globbec1400
forsling1481
slonk1481
franch1519
gull1530
to eat up1535
to swallow up1535
engorge1541
gulp1542
ramp1542
slosh1548
raven1557
slop1575
yolp1579
devour1586
to throw oneself on1592
paunch1599
tire1599
glut1600
batten1604
frample1606
gobbet1607
to make a (also one's) meal on (also upon)a1616
to make a (also one's) meal of1622
gorge1631
demolish1639
gourmanda1657
guttle1685
to gawp up1728
nyam1790
gamp1805
slummock1808
annihilate1815
gollop1823
punish1825
engulf1829
hog1836
scoff1846
brosier1850
to pack away1855
wolf1861
locust1868
wallop1892
guts1934
murder1935
woof1943
pelicana1953
pig1979
1943 C. H. Ward-Jackson It's a Piece of Cake 63 Woof, to, to eat fast.., to open the throttle quickly.
1943 Airflow (Ceylon) July 14/2 Woof, to eat hungrily.
1961 C. H. D. Todd Pop. Whippet iii. 47 They ran their noses right along the whole line of dishes, and in every case the six dogs at once ‘woofed’ the tripe.
1987 Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.) 21 Nov. ii. 1/2 Mike Lavin..and Coleman Taylor..were woofing down fried eggs and hash browns side by side.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1986; most recently modified version published online March 2021).
woofint.n.2
/wʊf/, U.S. /wʊf/ 1. Imitation of a gruff abrupt bark of a dog; also transferred.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Canidae > dog > [interjection] > bark
baw-waw1576
bow-wowa1616
yow1820
woof1839
youf1842
ruff1870
ouff1898
ouch1899
waff1922
1839 J. Ballantine in Whistle-Binkie 2nd Ser. 26 The wowff o' the colley.
1859 H. Kingsley Recoll. G. Hamlyn xxv Every now and then..he [sc. a dog] would discharge a ‘Woof’, like a minute-gun at sea.
1885 H. R. Haggard King Solomon's Mines iv Presently.. came a loud ‘woof, woof!’ ‘That's a lion’, said I.
1918 ‘B. Cable’ Air Men o' War 14 The hoarse ‘woof’ of a bursting anti-aircraft shell.
2. Variant of whoof int. and n.
3. Low-frequency sound of poor quality from a loudspeaker.
ΚΠ
1961 Webster's 3rd New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang.
1962 Listener 22 Nov. 882/1 It isn't only technicians who can justifiably complain about too much tweet and woof.
1978 Gramophone Jan. 1298/3 They..are every bit the equal of the LPs, a beautifully warm and detailed orchestral tapestry, with..a richly resonant bass (without too much ‘woof’).
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1928; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1c725
v.11894
v.21804int.n.21839