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woolgathering

 - 4 dictionary results

wool·gath·er·ing

[wool-gath-er-ing]
–noun
1.
indulgence in idle fancies and in daydreaming; absentmindedness: His woolgathering was a handicap in school.
2.
gathering of the tufts of wool shed by sheep and caught on bushes.

Origin:
1545–55; wool + gathering

wool·gath·er

[wool-gath-er]
–verb (used without object)
to engage in woolgathering.

Origin:
1840–50; by back formation from woolgathering

wool·gath·er·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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Word Origin & History

woolgathering
1553, "indulging in wandering fancies and purposeless thinking," from the lit. meaning "gathering fragments of wool torn from sheep by bushes, etc."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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wool·gath·er   (wŏŏl'gāth'ər)   
intr.v.   wool·gath·ered, wool·gath·er·ing, wool·gath·ers
To engage in fanciful daydreaming.
wool'gath'er·er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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