- felter, sb.1 Obs. rare. [f. FELTER v.] 1. Felting or tangle; = FELTERING vbl. sb. 1615 Markham Eng. Housew. 11 v. (1668) 125 If you find any hard knot or other felter in the Wooll. 2. A kind of worm or maggot found in the skins of cattle. More fully felter-worm. [Perh. a distinct word.] 1617 Markham Caval. VII. 85 To kill the Warble or Felter, bath your horse..with burnt Sacke and vinegar mixt together. 1639 T. DE Grayk Compl. Horsem. 38 This is most profitable for..the felter-worme.
- felter ... v. Obs. exc. dial. Also 4 fylter, 5 filter, 6 feltir, 8 falter; and see FEWTER. {ad. OF. feltrer, f. feltre felt = It. Feltro:- med.L.filtrum: see FILTER sb. Cf. It. feltrare.] 1. trans. To tangle (hair, etc.); to mat together. Also, to felter together. 13.. E.E. Allit. P.B. 1689 Faxe fyltered. ?a1400 Morte Arth. 1078 His fax and foretoppe Was filterede to-geders. c1460 Towneley Myst. 85 With a hede lyke a clowde felterd his here. 1549 Compl. Scott. vii. 68 Hyr hayr..vas feltrit & trachlit out of ordour. 1598 TOFTE Alba (1880) 40 Phoebus no more doth combe his tresses faire, But careles lets them feltred hang in th' aire. 1615 MARKHAM Eng. Housew. II. V. (1668) 123 So divide the wooll, as not any part thereof may be feltred or close together. 1641 BEST Farm. Bks. (Surtees) 57 They [pea roots] pull the best when they are the most feltered togeather. 1876 Mid-Yorks. Gloss., Felter, to clot. §b. intr. To make a felted or matted surface. 1621 MARKHAM Prev. Hunger (1655) 158 Bird-lyme.. doth so stick and felter vpon the same [feathers], that it is almost in no wise to be taken away. 2. trans. To entangle or catch as in a net. Of a garment: To cling about, encumber. Cf. FALTER v.2 1567 Sat. Poems Reform. iv. 129 Quhair Venus anis gettis..Sic sylit subiectis felterit in hir snair, Wisdome is exilit. 1596 DALRYMPLE tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. (1888) I. 109 Quhen now in wardlie effairis thay war sa feltired. 1597 JAMES I Demonol. III. Wks. (1616) 129 That hee may thereby have them feltred the sikered in his snaires. 1768 ROSS Helenore I. 57 An' Lindy's coat ay feltring her aboon. 1876 Whitby Gloss., Felter'd, entangled; stunned or confused. §3. intr. a. To be huddled together. b. To mingle in carnal intercourse. c. To join in strife; also, to felter together. 13.. E.E. Allit. P.B. 224 Fylter fenden folk forty dayez lencþe. Ibid. B. 696, & fylter folyly in fere, on femmalez wyse. Ibid. B. 1191 þay... & fylter togeder. c1340 Gaw. && Gr. Knt. 986, I schal fonde, bi my fayth, to fyltre wyth þe best. §4. trans. = FILTER v. Obs. 1563 HYLL Art Garden. (1593) 152 They may so drop continually water on them in the forme of feltring. 1610 B. JONSON Alch.II. iii, Let the water in Glasse E be Feltred. Hence 'Feltering vbl. sb., the action of the vb. FELTER. In quot. concr. a matted lock. 1615 MARKHAM Eng. Hoursew. II. v. (1668) 123 She shall cut away all the course locks, pitch, brands, tard locks, and other felterings.
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