Floss Definition

flôs, flŏs

flosses, flossing

noun

flosses

The rough silk covering a silkworm's cocoon.

Webster's New World

The short, downy waste fibers of silk.

Webster's New World

Webster's New World

A soft, loosely twisted thread or yarn, as of silk (floss silk) or cotton, used in embroidery.

Webster's New World

A soft, silky substance resembling floss, as in milkweed pods.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

verb

flossing

To clean (the teeth) with dental floss.

Webster's New World

To use dental floss.

American Heritage

(African American Vernacular) To show off, especially by exhibiting one’s wealth or talent.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Floss

Singular:

floss

Plural:

1750, from French floche (“tuft of wool”), from floc, from Old French flosche (“down, velvet”), from Latin floccus (“piece of wool”), probably from Frankish *flokko (“down, wool, flock”), from Proto-Germanic *flukkōn-, *flukkan-, *fluksōn- (“down, flock”), from Proto-Indo-European *plAwək- (“hair, fibres, tuft”). Cognate with Old High German flocko (“down”), Middle Dutch vlocke (“flock”), Norwegian dialectal flugsa (“snowflake”), Dutch flos (17c., “plush”). Related to fleece.

From Wiktionary
Perhaps alteration of French floche tuft of wool from Old French floc, floche from Latin floccus

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Compare German Floss a float.

From Wiktionary