Floccus
/ˈflɒk.əs/noun
A small tuft, woolly mass, or cloud-like cluster, especially in botanical, zoological, and meteorological terminology.
Did you know?In meteorology, *floccus* describes cloud elements with tufted, ragged bases, making an ancient Latin word for wool part of modern sky classification.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
floccus
“A tuft or lock of wool; a shred or small mass of fibrous material”
Late Latin
Latin
floccus
“A woolly tuft or loosely hanging mass”
Middle English
English
flok
“A tuft or lock of wool; a related form that contributed to the history of “flock””
17th Century
English
floc
“A small mass or aggregate of particles, used in technical vocabulary”
19th Century
Scientific English
floccus
“A tufted or wool-like structure used in specialist botanical and zoological descriptions”
Modern English
English
floccus
“A tufted cloud element or woolly cluster in scientific classification”
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