Floss Is the Fine Silk Inside a Silkworm's Cocoon
Floss is thread used to clean between teeth. The word originally named the soft loose silk found at the outside of a cocoon.
Floss is fine thread, above all the kind used to clean between teeth. The word first named the soft, loose, tangled silk on the outside of a silkworm's cocoon, which cannot be reeled into thread like the inner filament and was sold separately for embroidery. Dental floss borrowed the name for its fineness. *Candyfloss*, the British name for spun sugar, uses the same image of fine threads.
- Dental thread. *Use dental floss.*
- To clean between teeth. *Floss daily.*
- Loose silk. *Embroidery floss.*
- Candyfloss — spun sugar, British. *Pink candyfloss.*
- Flossy — light and fluffy. *Flossy fibres.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | floss | A reel of floss. |
| Verb | floss | Floss nightly. |
| Past | flossed | He flossed. |
| Compound | candyfloss | Candyfloss. |
| Adjective | flossy | Flossy silk. |
- Dentists recommend flossing daily.Dental.
- Embroidery floss comes in many colours.Craft.
- Candyfloss is cotton candy in America.Naming.
Silk from a cocoon
- Floss silk — the loose outer tangle, not reelable
- Bave — the continuous inner filament that is reeled
- One cocoon can yield close to a kilometre of filament
- Sericin — the gum holding the filament together, softened in hot water
- Embroidery floss takes its name from the outer silk
Probably from French *floche*, in *soie floche*, floss silk, from Old French *flosche*, downy or velvety.
Why is it called floss?
From the fine loose silk on the outside of a silkworm's cocoon, which was sold for embroidery under that name.
What do Americans call candyfloss?
Cotton candy. Australians say fairy floss.