Carding
/ˈkɑːrdɪŋ/noun
The process of combing or disentangling fibers, especially wool, with a card or carding machine.
Did you know?Carding comes from the same Latin root as *carduus* (“thistle”), because early fiber-combs were imagined like a prickly plant—proof that everyday words can grow from something sharp and wild.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
carduus
“thistle”
Old French
OF
carde
“a teasel or wool-combing tool”
Middle English
ME
carden
“to comb wool with a card”
Modern English
English
carding
“the process of disentangling and aligning fibers”