fuller
/'fulə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A workman who fulls cloth: A "fuller" is a person whose occupation is to full cloth. Fulling is a step in clothmaking that involves cleaning, thickening, and tightening the weave of freshly woven woolen fabric.
- A surname: "Fuller" is also a common family name, notably borne by individuals such as architect R. Buckminster Fuller.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The weaver sent the rough wool to the fuller for finishing. (The weaver sent the rough wool to the fuller for finishing.)
- R. Buckminster Fuller was a visionary designer. (R. Buckminster Fuller was a visionary designer.)
Advanced Usage
- Historical context: The occupation of a fuller was crucial in medieval and early modern textile production. The process often involved the use of fuller's earth, a type of clay, and urine to cleanse the oils from the wool.
Variants and Related Words
- Full (verb): The action performed by a fuller. To "full" cloth is to subject it to the fulling process.
- They would full the cloth to make it denser and more durable.
- Fulling (noun): The process itself.
- Fulling was a noisy and smelly part of cloth production.
- Fuller's earth (noun phrase): A type of clay historically used in the fulling process to absorb grease.
- The fuller applied fuller's earth to the fabric.
Synonyms
- Cloth worker: A general term for someone who works with textiles.
- Tucker (archaic, regional): An old term, primarily British, for a fuller.
Notes
- The word "fuller" as an occupation is now largely historical or specialized, as modern industrial processes have replaced traditional hand-fulling.
- When capitalized ("Fuller"), it functions almost exclusively as a proper noun (a surname).
Noun
- a workman who fulls (cleans and thickens) freshly woven cloth for a living
- United States architect who invented the geodesic dome (1895-1983)
- United States jurist and chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1833-1910)