furred

1. 1
   adjective

   Having a coat of fur covering the body.

   The furred mammals of the tundra rely on dense coats for insulation.

   Biologists classified the newly described species as furred rather than feathered.

   Similarfurry, hairy

   Oppositehairless

2. 2
   adjective

   Covered with a layer of thin, soft, short hair.

   The stems were furred with a fine down that trapped moisture.

   Many desert plants appear furred, their leaves shielded by short pale hairs.

   Similardowny, fuzzy, hairy, velvety

   Oppositesmooth, hairless, glabrous

3. 3
   adjective

   Made or trimmed with fur.

   Medieval nobles wore furred robes as a sign of status.

   Antique furred cloaks line the museum's costume gallery.

4. 4
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of fur.

   They furred the cloak's hem with sable for the winter season.

   His tongue furred after days of fever and dehydration.

   Note

   The r doubles before the ending, just as it does in furring. The verb works in two directions: someone furs a hem with sable, while a tongue simply furs on its own. Builders have a third use, which means leveling a wall or floor by applying furring to it. The same spelling also serves as the adjective for animals with fur.

5. 5
   adjective

   Of a tongue, coated with a layer made up chiefly of mucus and dead epithelial cells.

   The physician observed a heavily furred tongue, a common sign during fever.

   A furred tongue often accompanies dehydration and poor oral hygiene.

   Similarcoated, furry

   Note

   Medicine's best-known use of the "coated as if with fur" meaning: the coating is not hair at all but mucus and shed surface cells, which give the tongue its fuzzy look. It usually stands before the noun, as in a furred tongue or a heavily furred tongue. It names something seen on examination, a sign that accompanies fever or dehydration, rather than an illness in itself.

6. 6
   adjective

   Covered with a layer resembling fur, such as scale, mold, or fuzz.

   The pipes were furred with limescale after years of hard water.

   A neglected jar of jam had turned furred with mold.

   Similarcoated, encrusted, furry

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