FLOSS

floss

(noun) a soft loosely twisted thread used in embroidery

floss

(verb) use dental floss to clean; “floss your teeth after every meal”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Noun

floss (countable and uncountable, plural flosses)

A thread used to clean the gaps between the teeth.

Raw silk fibres.

The fibres covering a corncob etc.; the loose downy or silky material inside the husks of certain plants, such as beans.

Any thread-like material having parallel strands that are not spun or wound around each other.

(British) Spun sugar or cotton candy, especially in the phrase "candy floss".

A body feather of an ostrich.

A dance move in which the dancer repeatedly swings their arms, with clenched fists, from the back of their body to the front, on each side.

Verb

floss (third-person singular simple present flosses, present participle flossing, simple past and past participle flossed)

To clean the area between the teeth using floss.

(slang, African American Vernacular English) To show off, especially by exhibiting one's wealth or talent.

To perform the floss dance move.

Etymology 2

Noun

floss (plural flosses)

(UK) A small stream of water.

Fluid glass floating on iron in the puddling furnace, produced by the vitrification of oxides and earths which are present.

Noun

FLOSS (uncountable)

(computing) Abbreviation of free/libre/open source software.

Coordinate terms: FOSS, OSS

Source: Wiktionary


Floss (; 195), n. Etym: [It. floscio flabby, soft, fr. L. fluxus flowing, loose, slack. See Flux, n.]

1. (Bot.)

Definition: The slender styles of the pistillate flowers of maize; also called silk.

2. Untwisted filaments of silk, used in embroidering. Floss silk, silk that has been twisted, and which retains its loose and downy character. It is much used in embroidery. Called also floxed silk.

– Floss thread, a kind of soft flaxen yarn or thread, used for embroidery; -- called also linen floss, and floss yarn. McElrath.

Floss, n. Etym: [Cf. G. floss a float.]

1. A small stream of water. [Eng.]

2. Fluid glass floating on iron in the puddling furnace, produced by the vitrification of oxides and earths which are present. Floss hole. (a) A hole at the back of a puddling furnace, at which the slags pass out. (b) The tap hole of a melting furnace. Knight.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

14 May 2025

TERNARY

(adjective) having three units or components or elements; “a ternary operation”; “a treble row of red beads”; “overcrowding made triple sessions necessary”; “triple time has three beats per measure”; “triplex windows”


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Coffee Trivia

Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world. Each year Brazil exports more than 44 million bags of coffee. Vietnam follows at exporting over 27 million bags each year.

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