'floss yarn' definitions:

Definition of 'floss yarn'

From: GCIDE
  • Floss \Floss\ (?; 195), n. [It. floscio flabby, soft, fr. L. fluxus flowing, loose, slack. See Flux, n.]
  • 1. (Bot.) The slender styles of the pistillate flowers of maize; also called silk. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. Untwisted filaments of silk, used in embroidering. [1913 Webster]
  • 3. A body feather of an ostrich. Flosses are soft, and gray from the female and black from the male. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
  • Floss silk, silk that has been twisted, and which retains its loose and downy character. It is much used in embroidery. Called also floxed silk.
  • Floss thread, a kind of soft flaxen yarn or thread, used for embroidery; -- called also linen floss, and {floss yarn}. --McElrath. [1913 Webster]