floss
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
floss/flɒs/
▶noun
- 1 the rough silk enveloping a silkworm's cocoon.
■ untwisted silk fibres used in embroidery.
■ the silky down in maize and other plants.
- 2 short for dental floss.
– origin C18: from Fr. (soie) floche, from OFr. flosche ‘down, nap of velvet’.
'floss' also found in these Oxford entries:
