teasel

tea·sel

any of a genus (Dipsacus) of bristly plants of the teasel family, with prickly, cylindrical heads of yellowish or purplish flowers, esp. the fuller's teasel (D. fullonum) with flower heads having sharp, spinelike bracts
a flower head of the fuller's teasel, used when dried for raising a nap on cloth
any device for raising a nap on cloth

Origin of teasel

Middle English tasel from Old English tæsel from base of tæsan, to tease

designating a family (Dipsacaceae, order Dipsacales) of dicotyledonous plants bearing dense flower heads covered with stiff bracts, including scabiosa and teasel

transitive verb

to raise a nap on (cloth) by means of teasels

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"teasel." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 26 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/TEASEL>.

APA Style

teasel. (n.d.). Retrieved April 26th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/TEASEL

teasel

noun

Any of several plants of the genus Dipsacus, native to Eurasia and northern Africa, having prickly stems and flower heads surrounded by spiny bracts.
a. The cultivated teasel D. sativus. Also called fuller's teasel .
b. The bristly flower head of this plant, used to produce a napped surface on wool and other fabrics.
c. A wire device used to produce a napped surface.

transitive verb

tea·seled, tea·sel·ing, tea·sels, or tea·selled tea·sel·ling

To produce a napped surface on (a fabric).

Origin of teasel

Middle English tesel from Old English tǣsel

teasel

common teasel

Dipsacus fullonum

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"teasel." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 26 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/TEASEL>.

APA Style

teasel. (n.d.). Retrieved April 26th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/TEASEL

Noun

(plural teasels)

Any of several plants of the genus Dipsacus.
The dried flower head of the fuller's teasel, Dipsacus fullonum, used for teasing or carding cloth.
Any contrivance intended as a substitute for teasels in dressing cloth.

Verb

(third-person singular simple present teasels, present participle teaselling or teaseling, simple past and past participle teaselled or teaseled)

To raise the nap on cloth; to tease; to card.

Origin

From Middle English tesel, tasil, tasel, tosel, from Old English tÇ£sel, tÇ£sl (“to tease"), from Proto-Germanic *taisilÅ, *taislÅ (“thistle"), from Proto-Indo-European *dÄy- (“to separate, divide"). Cognate with Scots tasil, tassill (“teasel"), German Zeisel (“thistle, teasel"). Related to tease.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"teasel." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 26 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/TEASEL>.

APA Style

teasel. (n.d.). Retrieved April 26th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/TEASEL

teasel

teasel

Also Mentioned In

WORDS NEAR teasel IN THE DICTIONARY

teasel

teasel

Also Mentioned In

WORDS NEAR teasel IN THE DICTIONARY

Join YourDictionary today