fearnought

noun

variants or less commonly fearnaught
ˈ⸗ˌ⸗
plural -s
1
: a thick heavy overcoating that is made of wool often mixed with shoddy and that has a rough shaggy face
also : a garment made of this material

called also dreadnought

2
a
: a machine for disentangling woolen fiber prior to carding that consists usually of one large cylinder with hooked teeth and several worker and stripper rollers
b
: a picker preceding the card

Word History

Etymology

fear entry 2 + nought, naught

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Dictionary Entries Near fearnought

Cite this Entry

“Fearnought.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fearnought. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.

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