Definition of FURS

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When the word fur first came into English, it was a verb that meant “to line a person’s garment with the soft hair of an animal.” The noun developed from the verb. First, the noun referred to the animal hair that was used for lining and trimming a garment. Then it came to refer to the hairy coat on the animal itself. The verb, not much used anymore, was taken from the early French verb furrer, meaning “to stuff, fill, line.” It was formed from an earlier French word meaning “a sheath.” Thus our word fur for the hairy coat that covers or encases an animal traces back to a word for a sheath that encases a knife or sword.

Examples of fur in a Sentence

Noun The cat has black-and-white fur. The rabbit's fur is soft. Her gloves are lined with fur. He made his fortune trading furs in the 17th century. Her new fur is a full-length mink coat. a teddy bear with soft fur

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Without the companion app, FurReal is still a responsive robot who makes calm, happy noises when kids pet it on its furred back, or barks a warning when its tail is tweaked. — USA TODAY, "32 incredible coding toys that every kid will want," 27 Mar. 2020 Whether feathered or furred, all of these animals belong to the same political species: the bird-dogger. — Samuel Ashworth, Washington Post, "The Beautiful Art of Hassling Politicians While Wearing Animal Costumes," 24 Feb. 2020 At the pool’s edge, mosses fur the stones in newborn green, and white flowers bloom, their perfume carried lightly on the vapor cast off by the waterfall. — Seija Rankin, EW.com, "Read an exclusive excerpt of Saint X, the buzzy new novel about a missing teenager," 22 Jan. 2020 That was my America right there: pastel greenish-brown of grass furring the rolling hills. — Colin Barrett, Harper's magazine, "“Just Keep Going North”," 5 July 2019 Even a few hours in a fruit bowl on a summer afternoon is enough to fur them with mold, after which emergency measures may or may not help. 3. — New York Times, "The Best Fruits of Summer, Ranked," 22 May 2018 One vendor sold from racks of authentic furs while another offered a fur tissue box covers and fur hot water bottles. — Beth Spotswood, San Francisco Chronicle, "Edgewood Auxiliary puts on a high-end fundraiser for Bay Area kids," 1 May 2018 His usual hot-spot area is fully furred and not itchy. — Wes Siler, Outside Online, "So You Want to Get Your Dog on a Raw-Foot Diet," 24 Apr. 2018 But full lips and furred brows aside, her influence on fashion is debatable. — Ruth La Ferla, New York Times, "Nothing Comes Between Brooke Shields and Her New Line for QVC," 14 Mar. 2018 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun News photos show him at the riot shirtless, with his face painted and wearing a fur hat with horns, carrying a U.S. flag attached to a wooden pole topped with a spear. — Michael Biesecker, BostonGlobe.com, "Who were they? Records reveal Trump supporters who stormed Capitol," 11 Jan. 2021 News photos show him at the riot shirtless, with his face painted and wearing a fur hat with horns, carrying a U.S. flag attached to a wooden pole topped with a spear. — Anchorage Daily News, "Records show fervent Trump fans fueled US Capitol takeover," 11 Jan. 2021 From Gucci loafers from the ’70s and a pair of metallic sandals from Charles Jourdan to a luxe swing coat with a chinchilla fur collar, Cassis-Shaw has curated a thoughtful collection of some of the best vintage styles in the annals of fashion. — Barry Samaha, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Best Online Consignment Sites to Score Vintage Fashion," 5 Jan. 2021 The outbreaks have led to the culling of millions of mink in Europe, and in December, the U.S. identified the first case of a coronavirus infection in a wild animal, a wild mink found near a mink fur farm in Utah. — Theresa Machemer, Smithsonian Magazine, "Experimental Covid-19 Vaccine Reaches America’s Endangered Ferrets," 4 Jan. 2021 But mind always wander and end up in dark place where feel bad about life—fur go silver, choose wrong mate, sometimes feel like maul cub. — Teddy Wayne, The New Yorker, "Hibernation Insomnia," 2 Jan. 2021 Getting out of the car on BBQ weekend, I was smacked with the fresh scent of hay and horse fur mixed with spices and smoke that immediately lured me toward the back paddocks where the BBQ experience was already playing out. — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, "Ride Horseback to Breakfast and Learn the Art of Cowboy Cooking at This California BBQ Bootcamp," 30 Dec. 2020 If The Odyssey had been the story of a glamour girl, Doris Lilly would be its pert heroine in a fur chubby endlessly stranded on a sleek banquette. — Callahan Tormey, Town & Country, "Who Was the Real Holly Golightly?," 28 Dec. 2020 Carefully remove it, turn it inside out, and smoke the fur side for a few minutes. — Tim Macwelch, Outdoor Life, "The Ultimate Guide to Tanning Wild Game Pelts and Hides," 24 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fur.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.