Skip to content
ontologydriven
Sign out

Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

floc en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /flɒk/

Etymology

From Latin floccus (“tuft of wool”), or from French floc (“floc”), from the same Latin source.

Meanings

  1. (countable, uncountable) A floccule; a soft or fluffy particle suspended in a liquid, or the fluffy mass of suspended particles so formed.
    • It might seem that Mr. Holl, whose initial sketches are glorious watercolors, was an unlikely candidate for a job that is all about hydrodynamics. But he credits much of his inspiration to repeated meetings with engineers -- as many as 30 at a time -- to discuss topics like "flocculation" (the process by which particles form coagulated masses, or flocs). 2005 February 27, Fred A. Bernstein, “In My Backyard, Please: The Infrastructure Beautiful Movement”, in The New York Times:
  2. (countable, informal, uncountable) A flocculant, as used in swimming pools to make particles clump together so they are trapped by the filter.
    • This can happen for a few reasons, such as adding too much floc or adding too much algaecide prior to floccing. 2023, Kristine Blanchard, Pool Care For Dummies, page 291:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
flocs Number=Plur lexicographic
flocc alternative lexicographic

floc en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • /flɒk/

Etymology

From Latin floccus (“tuft of wool”), or from French floc (“floc”), from the same Latin source.

Meanings

  1. (informal) To use a flocculant in (a swimming pool).
    • This can happen for a few reasons, such as adding too much floc or adding too much algaecide prior to floccing. 2023, Kristine Blanchard, Pool Care For Dummies, page 291:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
flocs Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
flocced Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
flocced Tense=Past lexicographic
floccing Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
flocc alternative lexicographic