Definition of fleece

The word "fleece" has origins that date back to Old English, around the 10th century. It comes from an Old English word "flīscan," meaning "to cleave or split," which referred to the way sheep's wool would come apart or come "loose" from the animal's skin during shearing. The term evolved to mean the actual woolen material sheared from a sheep, known as a fleece. This is because, in Old English, the word "flīscan" also meant "to strike" or "to comb," as a person would comb through the shorn wool. The Latin word for sheep wool is "lanarium," but "fleece" became the standard term used in English due to historical connections within the wool trade. As the woolly English sheep became highly prized and in demand across Europe for their plump wooly enclosures, the word "fleece" stuck, as it was associated with wealth and prosperity. Today, "fleece" is used to describe a variety of woolen materials, from blankets to clothing, and is still closely associated with sheep husbandry and the wool trade.