# fur

Pronunciation: say "FUR" US /fɜɹ/, UK /fɜː/

## Noun

1. The hairy coat of many mammals, especially when it is fine, soft, and thick.
   - Simple: The soft, thick hair that covers animals like cats, rabbits, and bears.
   - _The seal's dense fur traps a layer of warm air against its skin._
   - _The fox shed its summer fur and grew a thicker winter coat._
2. The skin of an animal with the hair left on, or such skins used as a material for clothing.
   - Simple: Animal skin with the hair still on, used to make or trim clothes.
   - _The collar and cuffs were edged in fur to keep out the wind._
   - _Frontier economies depended heavily on fur shipped back to European markets._
3. A piece of clothing, such as a coat or wrap, made from animal pelts with the hair left on.
   - Simple: A coat or jacket made from the soft, hairy skin of animals.
   - _The actress arrived draped in a white fur._
   - _Her grandmother kept two old furs in a cedar chest._
4. A thick, soft pile forming the raised surface of certain fabrics.
   - Simple: The thick, soft top surface of some kinds of cloth.
   - _Inside, the coat is lined with synthetic fur that feels almost as soft as real rabbit._
   - _After a few trips through the washing machine, the fur on the stuffed rabbit had gone matted and stiff._
6. Thick hair on a person's body, especially on the chest, back or legs. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Thick hair on a person's body.
   - _He undid his shirt to reveal a chest covered in fur._
   - _A winter without shaving had left his legs thick with fur._
7. A member of the furry fandom, a subculture centered on animal characters with human characteristics.
   - Simple: A person who belongs to the fan group that loves animal characters with human traits.
   - _The hotel hosted hundreds of furs for the annual meetup._
   - _He came out as a fur to his friends last year._
9. The fine, velvety down growing on a peach's skin.
   - Simple: The soft, fuzzy coating on the skin of a peach.
   - _The fur on the peach caught the warm light of the orchard._
   - _She wiped the fur from each peach with a damp cloth before serving._
12. Rabbits and hares considered as game, distinguished from game birds such as partridges and pheasants (called feathers).
   - Simple: Rabbits and hares thought of as animals to hunt, not birds.
   - _The gamekeeper managed both fur and feather across the whole estate._
   - _The gamekeeper said fur had been scarce this season, though pheasants were plentiful._
13. The hard deposit that hard water leaves on the inside of boilers, kettles, and other vessels.
   - Simple: The hard, crusty layer that hard water leaves inside kettles and pipes.
   - _Decades of use had coated the boiler's tubes with a stubborn fur._
   - _A vinegar soak loosened the fur clogging the showerhead._
14. The coating of shed cells and debris that forms on the surface of the tongue.
   - Simple: A whitish coating that can build up on the tongue.
   - _After two days of fever, a heavy fur had built up on her tongue._
   - _Brushing the tongue helps clear away the fur that causes bad breath._
16. Sexual attractiveness; sex appeal. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A crude slang word for being sexually attractive to others.

## Preposition

5. Pronunciation spelling of for: the preposition for, written to show a casual or regional way of saying it. *(nonstandard)* — Pronunciation spelling of for.
   - Simple: Pronunciation spelling of for: the word for, spelled the way some people say it, as in "this is fur you."
   - _He saved the last slice fur his little brother._
   - _They waited all morning fur the boat to come in._

## Verb

8. To cover a surface with fur or with a coating resembling fur.
   - Simple: To cover something with fur or a coating that looks like fur.
   - _Green moss had furred the north side of every stone in the old wall._
   - _Her winter cloak was furred at the collar and cuffs with soft rabbit skin to keep out the cold._
11. To become coated with fur or with a layer resembling fur.
   - Simple: To slowly get covered with fur or a fur-like layer.
   - _Old kettles fur up wherever the water is especially hard._
   - _The valve had furred so badly that water barely passed through._
15. To fix thin strips of wood or metal to a wall, ceiling or rafters, to level the surface or leave a space behind the covering.
   - Simple: To fix thin strips of wood or metal to a surface to make it level or leave a gap behind it.
   - _Builders fur the brickwork so the panels sit flush against it._
   - _They furred the rafters to true up the sagging roofline._

## Conjunction

10. Pronunciation spelling of for: the conjunction for, meaning because, written to show a casual or regional pronunciation. *(nonstandard)* — Pronunciation spelling of for.
   - Simple: Pronunciation spelling of for: an old-fashioned word meaning because, spelled the way some people say it.
   - _“I won't sell that mule,” the old farmer muttered, “fur she's all I got left in this world.”_
   - _“Best keep your voice down,” Jem whispered, “fur the sheriff's men are out lookin' tonight.”_

## Other meanings

- (noun) One of several patterned tinctures used in heraldry, such as ermine and vair.

## Origin

The noun comes from Middle English furre, from Anglo-Norman forre, fuerre ("a case; sheath"), which goes back through Frankish and Proto-Germanic *fōdrą ("sheath"), related to German Futter ("lining") and Gothic fōdr ("sheath"), and ultimately to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to protect." The verb comes from Middle English furren, from Anglo-Norman furrer ("to line, stuff, fill"), formed from the noun.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/fur (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).