floss

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /flɒs/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /flɔs/
• (cot–caught merger, Canada) IPA^(key): /flɑs/

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• Rhymes: -ɒs, -ɔːs

A woman spinning candy floss.

Uncertain. Perhaps from Middle English *flos (attested in Middle English Flosmonger (a surname)), related to English fleece. Alternatively from French floche (“tuft of wool”), from floc, from Old French flosche (“down, velvet”), from Latin floccus (“piece of wool”), probably from Frankish *flokkō (“down, wool, flock”), from Proto-Germanic *flukkô (“down, piece of wool, flock”), from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (“hair, fibres, tuft”). Cognate with Old High German flocko (“down”), Middle Dutch vlocke (“flock”), Norwegian dialectal flugsa (“snowflake”), Dutch flos (“plush”) (tr=17c.).

floss (countable and uncountable, plural flosses)

1. A thread used to clean the gaps between the teeth.
2. Raw silk fibres.
3. The fibres covering a corncob etc.; the loose downy or silky material inside the husks of certain plants, such as beans.
4. Any thread-like material having parallel strands that are not spun or wound around each other.

   embroidery floss

5. (Britain) Spun sugar or cotton candy, especially in the phrase "candy floss".
6. A body feather of an ostrich.

   Flosses are soft, and grey from the female and black from the male.

7. A dance move in which the dancer repeatedly swings their arms, with clenched fists, from the back of their body to the front, on each side.

floss (third-person singular simple present flosses, present participle flossing, simple past and past participle flossed)

1. To clean the area between the teeth using floss.
2. (slang, African American Vernacular) To show off, especially by exhibiting one's wealth or talent.
   • 2003, Vladimir Bogdanov, All Music Guide to Hip-Hop: The Definitive Guide to Rap and Hip-Hop, Backbeat Books, page 554:

     As the label's name no doubt implies, these rappers aren't your typical crew, even if they still like to floss and represent their city.

   • 2003, Wang, Oliver, Classic Material: The Hip-Hop Album Guide, ECW Press, page 134:

     “Ms. Jackson” is probably the most sensitive—and realistic—take on relationships to come out of hip-hop, while “Red Velvet” cautions would-be playas against pushing the floss envelope around “dirty boys” just waiting for a chance to add some gray flecks to that fur.

   • 2007, Azie Faison, Agyei Tyehimba, Game Over: The Rise and Transformation of a Harlem Hustler, Simon and Schuster, page 69:

     It's impossible to floss wealth without attracting envy.

3. To perform the floss dance move.

• flossible

• dental floss

Compare German Floss a float.

floss (plural flosses)

1. (Britain) A small stream of water.
2. Fluid glass floating on iron in the puddling furnace, produced by the vitrification of oxides and earths which are present.

• floss hole

floss

1. First-person singular preterite of fließen.
2. Third-person singular preterite of fließen.