wool

wool

(wul),

The hair of the sheep; sometimes, when defatted, used as a surgical dressing.

Synonym(s): lana

wool

the natural fiber produced by the skin of domesticated sheep, characterized by its quality of felting together by virtue of its imbricated surface.

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wool ball

see trichobezoar.

black wool

inherited coat color in sheep.

wool blind

the state of having excess wool growth around the eyes to the point where the sheep is unable to see.

break in wool

see wool break.

carding wool

wool suitable for the woollen trade.

carpet wool

coarse low-grade wool, used in the manufacture of carpets.

wool classing

see wool classing.

clean wool

the basis on which the price of wool is set; scoured wool less charges and loss incurred in scouring.

combing wool

long-fibered wool suitable for processing in a combing machine. Used in textile manufacture, especially worsted.

colored wool fibers

naturally colored fibers in a fleece.

dead wool

wool plucked from a sheep which has been dead for some time; usually heavily contaminated and of little value.

dense wool

staples carrying many fibers per unit area of skin surface.

wool depigmentation

see achromotrichia.

wool discoloration

see fleece rot, mycotic dermatitis.

doggy wool

unevenly or poorly crimped wool; found in old sheep.

wool eating

eating of rabbits' wool by other rabbits, or wool from garments by cats causes intestinal wool balls and obstruction of the gut. May be a manifestation of pica due to boredom.

wool fat

see lanolin.

wool fiber abnormalities

includes straight, steely wool, wool break, pigmentation, achromotrichia in black sheep.

wool fiber diameter

thickness of the fiber; wool is sold on the basis of the average fiber diameter of the wool in the lot as determined by a machine and quoted in microns (micrometers); a more sophisticated classification is made on the basis of the average fiber diameter and the variability of the diameter.

greasy wool

wool in its natural state, after removal from the sheep and before any commercial processing; contains yolk, suint, moisture, extraneous soil and vegetable matter.

wool hairs

the soft undercoat fibers in most cats and dogs, interspersed with the longer guard hair; the predominant fiber type in sheep.

hogget wool

first fleece from a 10 to 14 month old sheep which has not been previously shorn.

hunger fine wool

wool with a finer fiber diameter than expected for the sheep's age; caused usually by poor nutrition.

wool industry

includes sheep farming, shearing, wool sales, wool processing and fiber and fabric manufacture.

wool maggots

see cutaneous myiasis.

wool picking

pulling at the wool of another sheep. It may be a vice due to over-confinement, or to an unspecified nutritional deficiency. Biting of another sheep as occurs in rabies may be confused with wool picking but not for long.

plain wool

straight wool lacking crimp and character.

wool processing effluent

liquid effluent from wool processing; has been a source of infection with anthrax.

wool pulling

pulling by the sheep of its own wool, usually an indication of itchiness. See also psorergatesovis.

wool quality

the British standard for wool quality is based on the Bradford Spinning Count System and the wool qualified as to its Bradford Count. This originated in the 19th century and is based on the number of 560-yard worsted skeins that can be produced from one pound of clean wool; larger numbers mean finer wool.

wool rot

see fleece rot.

wool rubbing

the sheep rubs its fleece against a hard object. Usually an indication of itching caused by external parasites or to a systemic disease with manifestations in the skin. See also scrapie.

wool slip

alopecia of housed ewes that are shorn in winter. The wool is lost over a large area of the back. There is no systemic illness and the wool regrows normally. The cause is unknown but the condition appears to be related to a high level of serum corticosteroids.

straight-steely wool

steely wool.

wool sucking

a vice of cats, particularly Siamese and Siamese crosses, in which they suck or chew woollen objects. Believed to be an extension of sucking behavior.

tender wool

wool which will break during the combing process in manufacturing.

wool wax

see lanolin.

wool weight

see fleece weight.

wool yield

the percentage of raw wool that can be retrieved from processing in a state suitable for the particular type of production which is in hand, e.g. carpet making.