kempy

The wool from the old sheep is kempy and coarse.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Having coarse or rough wool: "kempy" describes wool that contains stiff, short, or brittle fibers, often considered inferior in quality. This term is primarily used in the context of sheep farming or textile production.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The fleece from that breed of sheep is too kempy for fine garments. (The wool contains coarse fibers unsuitable for high-quality clothing.)
  • The farmer culled the kempy sheep from the flock to improve the overall wool quality. (The farmer removed sheep with rough wool to enhance the standard of the fleece.)

Advanced Usage

• "kempy fleece": a specific type of wool characterized by the presence of kemps (coarse, hollow fibers).
  • The artisan rejected the kempy fleece because it would not dye evenly. (The wool with coarse fibers was not suitable for uniform coloring.)

Variants and Related Words

• Kemp (n): a coarse, short, or brittle fiber in wool.

  • The presence of kemps reduces the commercial value of the fleece. (Coarse fibers make the wool less desirable for textiles.)

• Kempiness (n): the quality or state of being kempy.

  • The kempiness of the wool made it difficult to spin. (The rough texture hindered the spinning process.)

Synonyms

• Coarse: having a rough or uneven texture.
• Rough: not smooth; having an irregular surface.
• Bristly: stiff and prickly, like bristles.

Related Idioms

• "A kempy fleece": an idiom used in wool trade to describe wool of low quality.
  • The buyer warned that a kempy fleece yields little profit. (Coarse wool is not valuable in the market.)

Additional Notes

• The term "kempy" is highly specialized and rarely used outside of agricultural or textile contexts. It does not have common phrasal verbs or idioms in everyday language.