horsehair

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun hair taken from the mane or tail of a horse
noun a fabric made from fibers taken from the mane or tail of horses; used for upholstery

From Middle English hors her, horshere, hors-here, hors heer (also hors-hore), equivalent to horse + hair. Compare Old Norse hross-hár (“horsehair”).

Snip off with horsehair under the denned neck. — Ulysses, James Joyce
“As for horsehair, the very best is not pure. — The Wandering Jew — Complete, Eugène Sue
I drew up a horsehair rocking-chair and plunged in. — The best short stories of 1920, and the yearbook of the American short story, Unknown

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