floss
/flɔs/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.18 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The fibres covering a corncob etc.; the loose downy or silky material inside the husks of certain plants, such as beans.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
Any thread-like material having parallel strands that are not spun or wound around each other.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
Spun sugar or cotton candy, especially in the phrase "candy floss".
British usage; Countable; Uncountable
noun
A dance move in which the dancer repeatedly swings their arms, with clenched fists, from the back of their body to the front, on each side.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "embroidery floss"
- "Flosses are soft, and grey from the female and black from the male."
- "I don't floss very often."
- "I floss my teeth twice a day."
- "As the label's name no doubt implies, these rappers aren't your typical crew, even if they still like to floss and represent their city."
- "“Ms. Jackson” is probably the most sensitive—and realistic—take on relationships to come out of hip-hop, while “Red Velvet” cautions would-be playas against pushing the floss envelope around “dirty boys” just waiting for a chance to add some gray flecks to that fur."
Etymology
Unclear: * Possibly from French floche (“tuft of wool”), from floc, from Old French flosche (“down, velvet”), from Latin floccus (“piece of wool”), probably from Frankish *flokkō (“down, wool, flock”), from Proto-Germanic *flukkô (“down, piece of wool, flock”), from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (“hair, fibres, tuft”). * Or, from Middle English *flos (attested in Middle English Flosmonger (a surname)), from Proto-West Germanic *fleus, related to English fleece. Cognate with Old High German flocko (“down”), Middle Dutch vlocke (“flock”), Norwegian dialectal flugsa (“snowflake”), Dutch flos (“plush”) (tr=17c.).
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /flɔs/
- British English: /flɒs/
Usage
- Countable
- Uncountable
- British usage
- Slang
- Intransitive verb