Fleece

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Fleece, n. [OE. flees, AS. fleós; akin to D. flies, vlies.].

•  The entire coat of wool that covers a sheep or other similar animal; also, the quantity shorn from a sheep, or animal, at one time.  [1913 Webster]

  "Who shore me
  Like a tame wether, all my precious fleece."  [1913 Webster]
•  Any soft woolly covering resembling a fleece.  [1913 Webster]
•  The fine web of cotton or wool removed by the doffing knife from the cylinder of a carding machine.  [1913 Webster]

Fleece wool, wool shorn from the sheep. -- Golden fleece. See under Golden.

Fleece, v. t. 

•  To deprive of a fleece, or natural covering of wool.  [1913 Webster]
•  To strip of money or other property unjustly, especially by trickery or fraud; to bring to straits by oppressions and exactions.  [1913 Webster]

  "Whilst pope and prince shared the wool betwixt them, the people were finely fleeced."  [1913 Webster]
•  To spread over as with wool.  Thomson.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Fleece, n. & v.
--n.
1 a the woolly covering of a sheep or a similar animal. b the amount of wool sheared from a sheep at one time.
2 something resembling a fleece, esp.: a a woolly or rough head of hair. b a soft warm fabric with a pile, used for lining coats etc. c a white cloud, a blanket of snow, etc.
3 Heraldry a representation of a fleece suspended from a ring.
--v.tr.
1 (often foll. by of) strip (a person) of money, valuables, etc.; swindle.
2 remove the fleece from (a sheep etc.); shear.
3 cover as if with a fleece (a sky fleeced with clouds).

Idiom

fleece-picker Austral. & NZ = FLEECY. Golden Fleece see GOLDEN.

Derivative

fleeceable adj. fleeced adj. (also in comb.).

Etymology

OE fleos, fles f. WG

THESAURUS

Fleece

Leatherette, Leatheroid, alabaster, bare, beat, beguile of, bilk, bleed, bleed white, blubber, breeze, bristle, bunco, burn, butter, capillament, chalk, cheat, chisel, chouse, chouse out of, cilium, clay, clip, coat, cog, cog the dice, con, cozen, crib, crop, cushion, cuticle, defraud, denudate, denude, deplume, depredate, dermis, despoil, diddle, displume, divest, do, do in, do out of, dough, down, drain, driven snow, dry, eiderdown, euchre, exhaust, exploit, expose, feather bed, feathers, fell, finagle, flam, flay, flesh, flimflam, floss, flour, flue, fluff, foam, fob, forage, foray, freeboot, fudge, fur, furring, gouge, gull, gut, gyp, hair, have, head, head of hair, hide, hocus, hocus-pocus, hold up, horsehair, hustle, imitation fur, imitation leather, impoverish, integument, ivory, jacket, kapok, lay bare, lay open, leather, leather paper, lily, locks, loot, maggot, mane, maraud, mat, milk, mop, mulct, outer layer, outer skin, overcharge, overprice, overtax, pack the deal, paper, pearl, pelt, peltry, pick clean, pigeon, pile, pillage, pillow, pluck, plunder, plush, practice fraud upon, prey on, profiteer, pubescence, pubic hair, pudding, puff, putty, raid, ransack, ravage, raven, ravish, rawhide, reive, remove, rifle, rind, rip off, rob, rook, rope in, rubber, sack, satin, scam, screw, sell gold bricks, setula, shag, shave, shear, sheath, sheet, shock, shortchange, silk, silver, skin, skins, snow, soak, spoil, spoliate, stack the cards, stick, sting, strip, strip bare, suck dry, surcharge, swan, swansdown, sweat, sweep, swindle, take, take a dive, tegument, thatch, thimblerig, thistledown, throw a fight, tresses, uncloak, uncover, unsheathe, unveil, vair, velvet, victimize, wax, wool, zephyr

ROGET THESAURUS

Fleece

Taking

VB take, catch, hook, nab, bag, sack, pocket, put into one's pocket, receive, accept, reap, crop, cull, pluck, gather, draw, appropriate, expropriate, impropriate, assume, possess oneself of, take possession of, commandeer, lay one's hands on, clap one's hands on, help oneself to, make free with, dip one's hands into, lay under contribution, intercept, scramble for, deprive of, take away, carry away, bear away, take off, carry off, bear off, adeem, abstract, hurry off with, run away with, abduct, steal, ravish, seize, pounce upon, spring upon, swoop to, swoop down upon, take by storm, take by assault, snatch, reave, snap up, nip up, whip up, catch up, kidnap, crimp, capture, lay violent hands on, get hold of, lay hold of, take hold of, catch hold of, lay fast hold of, take firm hold of, lay by the heels, take prisoner, fasten upon, grip, grapple, embrace, gripe, clasp, grab, clutch, collar, throttle, take by the throat, claw, clinch, clench, make sure of, catch at, jump at, make a grab at, snap at, snatch at, reach, make a long arm, stretch forth one's hand, take from, take away from, disseize, deduct, retrench, dispossess, ease one of, snatch from one's grasp, tear from, tear away from, wrench from, wrest from, wring from, extort, deprive of, bereave, disinherit, cut off with a shilling, oust, divest, levy, distrain, confiscate, sequester, sequestrate, accroach, usurp, despoil, strip, fleece, shear, displume, impoverish, eat out of house and home, drain, drain to the dregs, gut, dry, exhaust, swallow up, absorb, draw off, suck the blood of, suck like a leech, retake, resume, recover.

Stealing

VB steal, thieve, rob, mug, purloin, pilfer, filch, prig, bag, nim, crib, cabbage, palm, abstract, appropriate, plagiarize, convey away, carry off, abduct, kidnap, crimp, make off with, walk off with, run off with, run away with, spirit away, seize, plunder, pillage, rifle, sack, loot, ransack, spoil, spoliate, despoil, strip, sweep, gut, forage, levy blackmail, pirate, pickeer, maraud, lift cattle, poach, smuggle, run, badger, bail up, hold up, stick up, bunco, bunko, filibuster, swindle, peculate, embezzle, sponge, mulct, rook, bilk, pluck, pigeon, fleece, defraud, obtain under false pretenses, live by one's wits, rob Peter to pay Paul, borrow of Peter to pay Paul, set a thief to catch a thief, disregard the distinction between meum and tuum, fence, launder, launder money.

Poverty

VB be poor, want, lack, starve, live from hand to mouth, have seen better days, go down in the world, come upon the parish, go to the dogs, go to wrack and ruin, not have a penny, not have a shot in one's locker, beg one's bread, tirer le diable par la queue, run into debt, render poor, impoverish, reduce, reduce to poverty, pauperize, fleece, ruin, bring to the parish.

Dearness

VB be dear, cost much, cost a pretty penny, rise in price, look up, overcharge, bleed, fleece, extort, pay too much, pay through the nose, pay too dear for one's whistle, pay top dollar.

Covering

N covering, cover, baldachin, baldachino, baldaquin, canopy, tilt, awning, tent, marquee, tente d'abri, umbrella, parasol, sunshade, veil (shade), shield, roof, ceiling, thatch, tile, pantile, pentile, tiling, slates, slating, leads, barrack, plafond, planchment, tiling, shed, top, lid, covercle, door, operculum, bulkhead, bandage, plaster, lint, wrapping, dossil, finger stall, coverlet, counterpane, sheet, quilt, tarpaulin, blanket, rug, drugget, housing, antimacassar, eiderdown, numdah, pillowcase, pillowslip, linoleum, saddle cloth, blanket cloth, tidy, tilpah, apishamore, integument, tegument, skin, pellicle, fleece, fell, fur, leather, shagreen, hide, pelt, peltry, cordwain, derm, robe, buffalo robe, cuticle, scarfskin, epidermis, clothing, mask, peel, crust, bark, rind, cortex, husk, shell, coat, eggshell, glume, capsule, sheath, sheathing, pod, cod, casing, case, theca, elytron, elytrum, involucrum, wrapping, wrapper, envelope, vesicle, corn husk, corn shuck, dermatology, conchology, testaceology, inunction, incrustation, superimposition, superposition, obduction, scale, veneer, facing, overlay, plate, silver plate, gold plate, copper plate, engobe, ormolu, Sheffield plate, pavement, coating, paint, varnish, plating, barrel plating, anointing, enamel, epitaxial deposition, vapor deposition, ground, whitewash, plaster, spackel, stucco, compo, cerement, ointment, covering, superimposed, overlaid, plated, cutaneous, dermal, cortical, cuticular, tegumentary, skinny, scaly, squamous, covered, imbricated, loricated, armor plated, ironclad, under cover, cowled, cucullate, dermatoid, encuirassed, hooded, squamiferous, tectiform, vaginate.