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floss

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

See also:Floss,FLOSS,andFloß

EnglishWikipedia has an article on:

dental floss

Wikipedia

Unclear:

Possibly fromFrenchfloche(“tuft of wool”), fromfloc, fromOld Frenchflosche(“down, velvet”), fromLatinfloccus(“piece of wool”), probably fromFrankish*flokkō(“down, wool, flock”), fromProto-Germanic*flukkô(“down, piece of wool, flock”), fromProto-Indo-European*plewk-(“hair, fibres, tuft”).
Or, fromMiddle English*flos (attested inMiddle EnglishFlosmonger(a surname)), fromProto-West Germanic*fleus, related toEnglishfleece.

Cognate withOld High Germanflocko(“down”),Middle Dutchvlocke(“flock”),Norwegian dialectalflugsa(“snowflake”),Dutchflos(“plush”) (tr=17c.).

floss (countable anduncountable,pluralflosses)

Athread used to clean the gaps between theteeth.
Rawsilk fibres.
The fibres covering acorncob etc.; the loose downy or silky material inside the husks of certain plants, such as beans.
Any thread-like material having parallelstrands that are notspun orwound around each other.
embroideryfloss
(British) Spun sugar orcotton candy, especially in the phrase "candy floss".
Abody feather of anostrich.
Flosses are soft, and grey from the female and black from the male.
Adance move in which the dancer repeatedly swings their arms, with clenched fists, from the back of their body to the front, on each side.

a thread used to clean the gaps between the teeth

silk fibres

the fibres covering a corncob etc.

any thread-like material having parallel strands

spun sugar or cotton candy—see alsocotton candy

floss (third-person singular simple presentflosses,present participleflossing,simple past and past participleflossed)

(ambitransitive) Toclean the area between (theteeth) usingfloss.
I don'tfloss very often.
Ifloss my teeth twice a day.
(slang, African-American Vernacular) Toshow 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, page554:
  As the label's name no doubt implies, these rappers aren't your typical crew, even if they still like tofloss and represent their city.
- 2003, Oliver Wang,Classic Material: The Hip-Hop Album Guide, ECW Press, page134:
  “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 thefloss 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, page69:
  It's impossible tofloss wealth without attracting envy.
(intransitive) To perform the floss dance move.

Translations

From dialectalflosh(“a flush, stream of water, sluice”), fromMiddle Englishflosche,flusche,flasche,flaske(“a watery or marshy place, swamp”), perhaps fromOld Frenchflache, fromMiddle Dutchvlacke(“a flat area, plain”), ultimately related toProto-West Germanic*fleutan. Compare alsoGermanFloss(“a float”).