GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Found 2 definitions

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    Mineral, a.
    1. Of or pertaining to minerals; consisting of a mineral or of minerals; as, a mineral substance.
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    2. Impregnated with minerals; as, mineral waters.
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      Mineral acids (Chem.), inorganic acids, as sulphuric, nitric, phosphoric, hydrochloric, acids, etc., as distinguished from the organic acids. -- Mineral blue, the name usually given to azurite, when reduced to an impalpable powder for coloring purposes. -- Mineral candle, a candle made of paraffin. -- Mineral caoutchouc, an elastic mineral pitch, a variety of bitumen, resembling caoutchouc in elasticity and softness. See Caoutchouc, and Elaterite. -- Mineral chameleon (Chem.) See Chameleon mineral, under Chameleon. -- Mineral charcoal. See under Charcoal. -- Mineral cotton. See Mineral wool (below). -- Mineral green, a green carbonate of copper; malachite. -- Mineral kingdom (Nat. Sci.), that one of the three grand divisions of nature which embraces all inorganic objects, as distinguished from plants or animals. -- Mineral oil. See Naphtha, and Petroleum. -- Mineral paint, a pigment made chiefly of some natural mineral substance, as red or yellow iron ocher. -- Mineral patch. See Bitumen, and Asphalt. -- Mineral right, the right of taking minerals from land. -- Mineral salt (Chem.), a salt of a mineral acid. -- Mineral tallow, a familiar name for hatchettite, from its fatty or spermaceti-like appearance. -- Mineral water. See under Water. -- Mineral wax. See Ozocerite. -- Mineral wool, a fibrous wool-like material, made by blowing a powerful jet of air or steam through melted slag. It is a poor conductor of heat.

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  2.       
    
    Wool , n. [OE. wolle, wulle, AS. wull; akin to D. wol, OHG. wolla, G. wolle, Icel. & Sw. ull, Dan. uld, Goth, wulla, Lith. vilna, Russ. volna, L. vellus, Skr. ūrṇā wool, vṛ to cover. √146, 287. Cf. Flannel, Velvet.]
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    1. The soft and curled, or crisped, species of hair which grows on sheep and some other animals, and which in fineness sometimes approaches to fur; -- chiefly applied to the fleecy coat of the sheep, which constitutes a most essential material of clothing in all cold and temperate climates.
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      Wool consists essentially of keratin.

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    2. Short, thick hair, especially when crisped or curled.
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      Wool of bat and tongue of dog.
      Shak.

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    3. (Bot.) A sort of pubescence, or a clothing of dense, curling hairs on the surface of certain plants.
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      Dead pulled wool, wool pulled from a carcass. -- Mineral wool. See under Mineral. -- Philosopher's wool. (Chem.) See Zinc oxide, under Zinc. -- Pulled wool, wool pulled from a pelt, or undressed hide. -- Slag wool. Same as Mineral wool, under Mineral. -- Wool ball, a ball or mass of wool. -- Wool burler, one who removes little burs, knots, or extraneous matter, from wool, or the surface of woolen cloth. -- Wool comber. (a) One whose occupation is to comb wool. (b) A machine for combing wool. -- Wool grass (Bot.), a kind of bulrush (Scirpus Eriophorum) with numerous clustered woolly spikes. -- Wool scribbler. See Woolen scribbler, under Woolen, a. -- Wool sorter's disease (Med.), a disease, resembling malignant pustule, occurring among those who handle the wool of goats and sheep. -- Wool staple, a city or town where wool used to be brought to the king's staple for sale. [Eng.] -- Wool stapler. (a) One who deals in wool. (b) One who sorts wool according to its staple, or its adaptation to different manufacturing purposes. -- Wool winder, a person employed to wind, or make up, wool into bundles to be packed for sale.

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