woof

noun

1. 1

   The set of yarns carried by the shuttle of a loom which are placed crosswise at right angles to and interlaced with the warp; the weft.

   When the plage of leproſye is in a cloth: […] that cloth ſhalbe burnt, ether warpe or wolfe, whether it be wollen or lynen or any thynge that is made of ſkynne where the plage is, […]

   […] Paſsions of Matter, are Plebeian Notions, applied vnto the Inſtruments and Vſes vvhich Men ordinarily practiſe; But they are all but the Effects of ſome of theſe Cauſes follovving; […] The Fourteenth is the Placing, of the Tangible Parts, in Length, or Tranſuerſe; (as it is in the VVarpe, and the VVoofe of Textiles;) […]

2. 2

   A woven fabric; also, the texture of a fabric.

   [T]his is no lavv unto the vvoof of the neat Retiarie Spider, vvhich ſeems to vveave vvithout tranſverſion, and by the union of right lines to make out a continued ſurface, vvhich is beyond the common art of Textury, and may ſtill nettle Minerva the Godeſſe of that myſtery.

   To ſpread the pall beneath the regal chair / Of ſofteſt vvoof, is bright Alcippe’s care.

   The purple ſtain on fleecy vvoofs he ſpread, / VVhich lur'd the eye, adorning many a nymph, / And drevv the pomp of trade to riſing Tyre.

   […] Ulyſſes then in haſte / Put on his veſt and mantle, and, the nymph / Her ſnovvy veſture of tranſparent vvoof, / Graceful, redundant; […]

3. 3

   The thread or yarn used to form the weft of woven fabric; the fill, the weft.

   [F]irſt I muſt put off / Theſe my skie robes ſpun out of Iris vvooffe, / And take the vveeds and likeneſſe of a Svvaine, […]

   Iris had dipt the wooff; / His ſtarrie Helme unbuckl'd ſhew'd him prime / In Manhood where Youth ended; […]

   Or am I mad, my father, and did I weave these visions from the woof of my madness? I do not know, but it is true that I seemed to see them.

4. 4

   obsoleteSynonym of weaving (“the process of making woven material on a loom”).

   Mean time Alcyone (his Fate unknovvn) / Computes hovv many Nights he had been gone, / […] / Againſt the promis'd Time provides vvith care, / And haſtens in the VVoof the Robes he vvas to vvear: / And for her Self employs another Loom, / Nevv-dreſs'd to meet her Lord returning home, / Flatt'ring her Heart vvith Joys that never vvere to come: […]

5. 5

   figurativeSomething which is interwoven with another thing.

   [T]he woof of self-interest is so cunningly interwoven with the warp of righteous feeling that very few of us can tell where the threads cross.

6. 6

   figurativeAn underlying foundation or structure of something; a fabric.

   The proces of that Oration was of the ſame woofe and thrid with the beginning; […]

   Miſta black, terrific Maid, / Sangrida, and Hilda ſee, / Join the vvayvvard vvork to aid: / 'Tis the vvoof of victory.

   The fireside, then, is a seminary of infinite importance; it is important because it is universal, and because the education it bestows, being woven in with the woof of childhood, gives form and color to the whole texture of social life. There are few who can receive the honors of a college, but all are graduates of the hearth.

   The blind old scholar—whose proud truthfulness would never enter into that commerce of feigned and preposterous admiration which, varied by a corresponding measureless in vituperation, made the woof of all learned intercourse—had fallen into neglect even among his fellow-citizens, […]

verb

1. 1

   rareTo place (yarns) crosswise at right angles to and interlaced with the warp in a loom.

   And warp well the long threads, / The bright threads, the strong threads; / Woof well the cross threads, / To make the colours shine.

   After de yarn was spin, it was reeled off de spools into hanks and then took to de warper. Then she woofed it, warped it, and loomed it into cloth. Her make for yards in a day.

2. 2

   figurativeTo interweave (something) with another thing; to weave (several things) together.

   Here and there, where the land has not been cleared and the tide of dense swamp-forest closes upon the road, one gazes into the fearful tangle of vegetation, warped and woofed together by lianas and creeping plants of every description, and then realises what the work of clearing has been.

   Many would contest the view (which [Patricia Nelson] Limerick shares with [Gerald D.] Nash) that the '60s generation was forged by some common experience, and warped and woofed into a programmatic consensus of evaluative priorities and analytical strategies.

interjection

1. 1

   rareUsed to indicate the sound of a dog barking, or something resembling it.

   Presently, from the depths of the bush behind us, came a loud "woof, woof!" "That's a lion," said I, and we all started up to listen.

   "Woof" came another [anti-aircraft] shell, and then in quick succession another and another, the last one dead ahead and with such correct elevation that, a second later, the machine flashed through the streaming black smoke of the burst.

   Startled bears often make a ‘whoosh’ or ‘woof’ sound as they turn to run. As long as bears run, don’t be alarmed. If, however, bears stand their ground and begin a series of woofs (like air forced out of a bellows), or pop their teeth together, or both, then this is your invitation to leave.

   Like a little girl, she did a Nick [name of dog] imitation for me, a sad "woof woof."

2. 2

   rareUsed to express strong physical attraction for someone.

   I see a hardworking man, with a smile that lights up a room—very sexy—woof!

noun

1. 1

   rareThe sound a dog makes when barking; a bark.

2. 2

   rareA sound resembling a dog's bark.

   He looked up and out a moment as there came to his ear, dully but unmistakably above the roar of the engine, the hoarse "woof" of a bursting anti-aircraft shell.

   Calls [of the mantled howler monkey] include woofs, grunts, barks, and howls. […] A series of loud, low barks or woofs precede the long roar.

3. 3

   rareA sound resembling a dog's bark. A low-frequency sound of bad quality produced by a loudspeaker.

verb

1. 1

   figurativeTo say (something) in an aggressive or boastful manner.

2. 2

   informalTo eat (food) voraciously; to devour, to gobble, to wolf.

   [N]othing makes me feel better than to see my dog's woofing down their food.

   The dog doesn't bark, it just stares at Tom. Tom pulls out the steaks. […] Tom throws them over and the dog woofs them down.

3. 3

   rareOf a dog: to bark.

   A nondescript cur came out from behind the house, stopped in surprise, and started good-naturedly woof-woofing at me, his eyes slit, his shaggy belly all muddy, and then walked about a little and woofed once more.

   At the same time, Prince and Shep, who were a part of the household, whined and woofed a time or two, then rose from their rag mats to welcome me with dignity, quite unlike the savage malamutes that would have taken a pound of flesh and enjoyed it if their chains had snapped as I came up the lane.

4. 4

   rareOf a person or thing: to make a sound resembling a dog's bark.

   A few minutes later a new [grizzly] bear came out on the big log upstream— […] Within seconds she knew something was wrong. She woofed, bounded off the log and came raging down toward us through the timber. There, not far away, she smashed back and forth, woofing and growling.

   An abrupt, loud wuu is occasionally emitted by a startled animal. For example, […] a cub woofed after a lioness slapped it suddenly at a kill. Once a monitor lizard lashed its tail at the face of a lioness and she woofed as she jumped back.

5. 5

   figurativeTo speak in an aggressive or boastful manner.

   "Miss, you know uh heap uh dese hard heads wants to woof at you but dey skeered." / "How come, Mr. Pitts? Do I look like a bear or panther?" / "Naw, but dey say youse rich and dey ain't got de nerve to open dey mouf."

   Woofing, sometimes called "wolfing," is a communication strategy used to insult or threaten an opponent. […] Generally, woofing takes two forms. It can be an insult game or a demonstration of intimidation. […] Woofing builds esteem and identity, releases tension, and teaches self-control and verbal skill.

verb

1. 1

   Variant of wwoofrareAlternative form of wwoof.

   Our two children are immediately involved in a frantic game of touch rugby orchestrated by Vinny, an Irish backpacker, who is WOOFing his way around New Zealand.

   One might run off for a few months to work on an organic farm—a habit so common there's actually an acronym for it: to woof (Work on an Organic Farm).

   Membership is cheap, and they send you a book with listings of farms from Hawaii to New Zealand. Try woof'ing it for a few months;

   In fact, as with other types of stay, "woofing in Damanhur can also be a way of getting closer to the Community: after woofing some have continued with the New Life experience and become citizens"

interjection

1. 1

   rareOof.

2. 2

   rarePhew.

Forms

plural

woofs

past tense

woofed

past participle

woofed

present participle

woofing

third person singular

woofs