fuzz

Pronunciation: /fʌz/

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun filamentous hairlike growth on a plant
  2. noun uncomplimentary terms for a policeman
  3. noun a hazy or indistinct representation

Etymology

Uncertain. Some dictionaries suggest a Germanic source; compare Low German fussig (“loose; spongy”), Dutch voos (“unsound; rotten”). Others, such as Webster's New College Dictionary, suggest a back-formation from fuzzy. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests, “Perhaps imitative of the action of blowing away light particles.”

In classic literature

Synonyms

hair, tomentum

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
plant process
Narrower (hyponyms)
stinging hair, beard

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