2 entries found for fur.
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fur fur seal

Main Entry: fur
Pronunciation: fr
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English furre "a piece of animal skin used to line a garment," from furren (verb) "to line a garment with fur," from early French furrer, "to stuff, fill, line," from fuerre "sheath," of Germanic origin
1 : a piece of the pelt of an animal
2 : an article of clothing made with fur
3 : the hairy coat of a mammal especially when fine, soft, and thick
- fur·less /-ls/ adjective
- furred /frd/ adjective
Word History 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.