Dictionary

fleece en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /flɪjs/ (British, Southern, Standard)
• /fliːs/
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English fles, flees, flese, from Old English flēos, flīes, flȳs, from Proto-West Germanic *fleus.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) Hair or wool of a sheep or similar animal.
   • Wool became the substitute for money. […] In all the middle periods of British history, the fleece was the expression and the measure of national prosperity or calamity. 1837, William Youatt, “Preface”, in Sheep: Their Breeds, Management and Diseases. […] (Library of Useful Knowledge), London: Baldwin and Cradock:
   • We carefully skirt and weigh each fleece, calculate shipping, and notify the buyer when the fleece is ready. Sound but more workaday fleeces are batched to make roving and yarn. 2026, Robin Nistock, quotee, “Makers Space”, in Spin Off, volume L, number 1, page 13:
   • The Sun ſhall change, the Moon to change ſhall ceaſe; / The Gaits to clim-----the Sheep to yield the Fleece, / Ere ought by me be either ſaid or done, / Shall do thee Wrang, I ſwear by all aboon. 1730, Allan Ramsay, “[Act II, Scene IV]”, in The Gentle Shepherd: A Scots Paſtoral-Comedy, page 23:
2. (uncountable) Insulating skin with the wool attached.
3. (countable) A textile similar to velvet, but with a longer pile that gives it a softness and a higher sheen.
4. (countable) An insulating wooly jacket.
5. (countable, uncountable) Mat or felts composed of fibers, sometimes used as a membrane backer.
6. (countable, uncountable) Any soft woolly covering resembling a fleece.
   • Alas! in the morning the eaglet was gone; and, full of sorrow, they stooped to pick up the shining fleece with which the floor was spread. At their touch, every feather became a golden coin. 1879 January, Ellis Clare, “The Christmas Eaglet”, in Ballou's Monthly Magazine, volume 49, number 1, Boston: Thomes & Talbot:
7. (countable, uncountable) The fine web of cotton or wool removed by the doffing knife from the cylinder of a carding machine.

Forms

Deriveds

fleece rot · fleece worm · China fleece vine · polar fleece · fleecelike · green fleece · Chinese fleece vine · fleecehold · smooth golden fleece · fleeceware · fleece wool · Golden Fleece · fleece vine · fleeceless · feather fleece · fleecewear · microfleece · fleecy · fleeceflower · defleece

Descendants

fleece · flís · fliso · fliisi · fleece · fleece · flís · флис · Fleece

Translations (133)

ja フリース (textile) · it pelliccia (insulating skin with the wool attached) · sh вуна (hair or wool of a sheep) · mk волна (hair or wool of a sheep) · cmn 羊毛 (hair or wool of a sheep) · el προβιά (insulating skin with the wool attached) · grc νάκη (hair or wool of a sheep) · bg въ̀лна (hair or wool of a sheep) · fi fleecetakki (insulating woolly jacket) · it pile (insulating woolly jacket) · enm fles (hair or wool of a sheep) · la vellus (hair or wool of a sheep) · pl runo (hair or wool of a sheep) · fi fliisi (textile) · nl vel (insulating skin with the wool attached) · ka მატყლი (hair or wool of a sheep) · mk руно (hair or wool of a sheep) · gd rùsg (insulating skin with the wool attached) · gl capela (hair or wool of a sheep) · la vellus (insulating skin with the wool attached) · el προβιά (hair or wool of a sheep) · ca velló (insulating skin with the wool attached) · es vellón (insulating skin with the wool attached) · xmf მონტყორი (hair or wool of a sheep) · uk руно́ (hair or wool of a sheep) · ro molton (textile) · es vellón (hair or wool of a sheep) · lv vilna (hair or wool of a sheep) · pl wełna (hair or wool of a sheep) · gd rùsg (hair or wool of a sheep) · es vellón polar (textile) · ca velló (hair or wool of a sheep) · es forro polar (textile) · af skaapvag (hair or wool of a sheep) · de Vlies (hair or wool of a sheep) · he גִּזָּה (hair or wool of a sheep) · nl schaapsvacht (hair or wool of a sheep) · is flíspeysa (insulating woolly jacket) · fr toison (insulating skin with the wool attached) · nl schapenvacht (hair or wool of a sheep) · ro polar (insulating woolly jacket) · de Fell (insulating skin with the wool attached) · grc κῶας (insulating skin with the wool attached) · it vello (insulating skin with the wool attached) · it pile (textile) · bg руно́ (hair or wool of a sheep) · de Fleece (textile) · uk во́вна (hair or wool of a sheep) · fi fleece (textile) · fr toison (hair or wool of a sheep) · enm fles (insulating skin with the wool attached) · ko 양모 (hair or wool of a sheep) · ru овчи́на (insulating skin with the wool attached) · tl balahibo ng tupa (hair or wool of a sheep) · fr polaire (textile) · cs flís (insulating woolly jacket) · es vellocino (hair or wool of a sheep) · sh руно (hair or wool of a sheep) · el μηλωτή (hair or wool of a sheep) · hu gyapjú (hair or wool of a sheep) · fi fleecekangas (textile) · tr yapağı (hair or wool of a sheep) · ko 양모 (insulating skin with the wool attached) · es toisón (hair or wool of a sheep) · sva მა̈ტყ (hair or wool of a sheep) · cs rouno (insulating skin with the wool attached) · eo (kruda) felo (insulating skin with the wool attached) · grc νάκη (insulating skin with the wool attached) · sh vuna (hair or wool of a sheep) · ota یاپاغی (hair or wool of a sheep) · ru флис (textile) · br kreoñ (hair or wool of a sheep) · eo ŝaflano (hair or wool of a sheep) · kw knew (hair or wool of a sheep) · sl runo (hair or wool of a sheep) · es polar (textile) · it tosone (insulating skin with the wool attached) · eo ŝafharo (hair or wool of a sheep) · nl fleece (textile) · ru руно́ (hair or wool of a sheep) · qu millma (hair or wool of a sheep) · sl volna (hair or wool of a sheep) · es zalea (insulating skin with the wool attached) · hu gyapjas bőr (insulating skin with the wool attached) · fr polaire (insulating woolly jacket) · fi villa (hair or wool of a sheep) · fi talja (insulating skin with the wool attached) · fi karva (hair or wool of a sheep) · ga lomra (hair or wool of a sheep) · ca pelfa (textile) · hy գեղմ (hair or wool of a sheep) · fi fliisi (insulating woolly jacket) · ro polar (textile) · sk vlna (hair or wool of a sheep) · ru шерсть (hair or wool of a sheep) · ko 플리스 (insulating woolly jacket) · be руно́ (hair or wool of a sheep) · ca vell (insulating skin with the wool attached) · sk rúno (hair or wool of a sheep) · be шэрсць (hair or wool of a sheep) · ko 양모 (textile) · cs vlna (hair or wool of a sheep) · sv fleece (textile) · pt tosão (hair or wool of a sheep) · sh runo (hair or wool of a sheep) · cmn 抓绒衣 (insulating woolly jacket) · es lana (hair or wool of a sheep) · be во́ўна (hair or wool of a sheep) · fr molleton (textile) · sk rúno (insulating skin with the wool attached) · eo (preparita) pelto (insulating skin with the wool attached) · fi fleece (insulating woolly jacket) · ja 羊毛 (hair or wool of a sheep) · de Fleecejacke (insulating woolly jacket) · ca vell (hair or wool of a sheep) · grc κῶας (hair or wool of a sheep) · es piel (insulating skin with the wool attached) · cy cnuf (hair or wool of a sheep) · hy բուրդ (hair or wool of a sheep) · ro lână (hair or wool of a sheep) · uk фліс (textile) · cy cnu (hair or wool of a sheep) · qu rutuy (hair or wool of a sheep) · gl vélaro (hair or wool of a sheep) · eo fliso (textile) · uk шерсть (hair or wool of a sheep) · lzz მონტკორი (hair or wool of a sheep) · pt pelego (insulating skin with the wool attached) · grc πόκος (hair or wool of a sheep) · is flís (textile) · grc πόκος (insulating skin with the wool attached) · cs rouno (hair or wool of a sheep) · it vello (hair or wool of a sheep)

fleece en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /flɪjs/ (British, Southern, Standard)
• /fliːs/
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English fles, flees, flese, from Old English flēos, flīes, flȳs, from Proto-West Germanic *fleus.

Meanings

1. (informal, transitive) To con or trick (someone) out of money.
   • There is a difference between bookmaking, an entirely respectable profession, and fleecing people, which isn’t. 2015 August 2, “All bets are off: why bookmakers aren’t playing fair”, in The Observer, archived from the original on 21 Jan 2020:
2. (transitive) To cut off the fleece from (a sheep or other animal).
   • During spring shearing we have to fleece all the sheep in just a few days.
3. (transitive) To cover with, or as if with, wool.

Forms

Deriveds

fleecer · fleeceable

Hypernyms

cut off

Relateds

nickel and dime (con)

Synonyms

shear · swindle

Translations (42)

fa پشم چیدن (to shear the fleece) · de scheren (to shear the fleece) · nl oplichten (to con or trick someone out of money) · hu megvág (to con or trick someone out of money) · it spiumare (to con or trick someone out of money) · ru обдира́ть (to con or trick someone out of money) · de übers Ohr hauen (to con or trick someone out of money) · hu megkopaszt (to con or trick someone out of money) · ca plomar (to con or trick someone out of money) · de beschwindeln (to con or trick someone out of money) · gl esfolar (to con or trick someone out of money) · ca pelar (to con or trick someone out of money) · it pelare (to con or trick someone out of money) · sv skörta upp (to con or trick someone out of money) · sv pungslå (to con or trick someone out of money) · de ausnehmen (to con or trick someone out of money) · la dēfloccō (to con or trick someone out of money) · fr arnaquer (to con or trick someone out of money) · ga feann (to con or trick someone out of money) · cy pluo (to con or trick someone out of money) · fr dépouiller (to con or trick someone out of money) · bg оскубвам (to con or trick someone out of money) · es esquilar (to shear the fleece) · bg стрижа (to shear the fleece) · es desplumar (to con or trick someone out of money) · fr dévaliser (to con or trick someone out of money) · ru ободра́ть как ли́пку (to con or trick someone out of money) · cy cneifio (to shear the fleece) · fi nylkeä (to con or trick someone out of money) · fr tondre (to shear the fleece) · ota صاغمق (to con or trick someone out of money) · ru стричь ове́ц (to shear the fleece) · ota قرقمق (to shear the fleece) · sv skinna (to con or trick someone out of money) · es esquilmar (to con or trick someone out of money) · fa فریز کردن (to shear the fleece) · fi keritä (to shear the fleece) · de betrügen (to con or trick someone out of money) · de abziehen (to con or trick someone out of money) · ro stoarce (to con or trick someone out of money) · fr plumer (to con or trick someone out of money) · cy plingo (to con or trick someone out of money)