Definition of "woof"
woof1
noun
plural woofs
(weaving)
The set of yarns carried by the shuttle of a loom which are placed crosswise at right angles to and interlaced with the warp; the weft.
Quotations
When the plage of leproſye is in a cloth: […] that cloth ſhalbe burnt, ether warpe or wolfe, whether it be wollen or lynen or any thynge that is made of ſkynne where the plage is, […]
1530 January 27 (Gregorian calendar), W[illiam] T[yndale], transl., [The Pentateuch] (Tyndale Bible), Malborow [Marburg], Hesse: […] Hans Luft [actually Antwerp: Johan Hoochstraten], Leuiticus xiij:[47 and 52], folio XXIII, recto
[…] Solon vvas of this opinion, that the proper vvorke of every art and facultie, as vvell divine as humane, vvas rather the effect and thing by it vvrought, than that vvhereby it vvas effected; […] for ſo I ſuppoſe that a vveaver vvill ſay, that his vvorke is to make a vveb for a mantle, a coat or ſuch a robe, and not to ſpoole, vvinde quils, lay his vvarpe, ſhoot oufe, or raiſe and let fall the vveights and ſtones hanging to the loome: […]
1603, Plutarch, “The Banquet of the Seven Sages”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Philosophie, Commonlie Called, The Morals […], London: […] Arnold Hatfield, page 337
[…] Paſsions of Matter, are Plebeian Notions, applied vnto the Inſtruments and Vſes vvhich Men ordinarily practiſe; But they are all but the Effects of ſome of theſe Cauſes follovving; […] The Fourteenth is the Placing, of the Tangible Parts, in Length, or Tranſuerſe; (as it is in the VVarpe, and the VVoofe of Textiles;) […]
1631, Francis [Bacon], “IX. Century. [Experiment Solitary Touching Other Passions of Matter, and Characters of Bodies.]”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], 3rd edition, London: […] William Rawley; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], paragraph 846, page 216
(by extension) A woven fabric; also, the texture of a fabric.
Quotations
[…] Ulyſſes then in haſte / Put on his veſt and mantle, and, the nymph / Her ſnovvy veſture of tranſparent vvoof, / Graceful, redundant; […]
1791, Homer, W[illiam] Cowper, transl., “[The Odyssey.] Book V.”, in The Iliad and Odyssey of Homer, Translated into Blank Verse, […], volume II, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], page 118, lines 274–277
Drawn round her [Nature's] brows a lucid veil depends, / O'er her fine waist the purfled woof descends; / Her stately limbs the gather'd folds surround, / And spread their golden selvage on the ground.
1803, Erasmus Darwin, “Canto I. Production of Life.”, in The Temple of Nature; or, The Origin of Society: A Poem, with Philosophical Notes, London: Printed for J[oseph] Johnson, […], by T[homas] Bensley, […], section II, page 12, lines 133–136
(by extension, loosely, chiefly poetic) The thread or yarn used to form the weft of woven fabric; the fill, the weft.
Quotations
[F]irſt I muſt put off / Theſe my skie robes ſpun out of Iris vvooffe, / And take the vveeds and likeneſſe of a Svvaine, […]
1634 October 9 (first performance), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, page 4
Or am I mad, my father, and did I weave these visions from the woof of my madness? I do not know, but it is true that I seemed to see them.A figurative use.
1892, H[enry] Rider Haggard, “The Counsel of Baleka”, in Nada the Lily (Longmans’ Colonial Library), London; New York, N.Y.: Longmans, Green, and Co., […], page 87
(obsolete, rare) Synonym of weaving (“the process of making woven material on a loom”)
Quotations
Mean time Alcyone (his Fate unknovvn) / Computes hovv many Nights he had been gone, / […] / Againſt the promis'd Time provides vvith care, / And haſtens in the VVoof the Robes he vvas to vvear: / And for her Self employs another Loom, / Nevv-dreſs'd to meet her Lord returning home, / Flatt'ring her Heart vvith Joys that never vvere to come: […]
1700, [John] Dryden, “Ceyx and Alcyone”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], page 370
(figurative)
An underlying foundation or structure of something; a fabric.
Quotations
The proces of that Oration was of the ſame woofe and thrid with the beginning; […]
1596, Tho[mas] Nashe, “Dialogus”, in Haue with You to Saffron-Walden. Or, Gabriell Harveys Hunt is Up. […], London: […] John Danter; republished as J[ohn] P[ayne] C[ollier], editor, Have with You to Saffron-Walden (Miscellaneous Tracts; Temp. Eliz. and Jac. I), page 82
Miſta black, terrific Maid, / Sangrida, and Hilda ſee, / Join the vvayvvard vvork to aid: / 'Tis the vvoof of victory.
1761 (date written), [Thomas] Gray, “Ode VIII. The Fatal Sisters. From the Norse Tongue.”, in The Poems of Mr. Gray. […], York, Yorkshire: […] A. Ward; and sold by J[ames] Dodsley, […]; and J. Todd, […], published 1775, stanza 5, page 46
The fireside, then, is a seminary of infinite importance; it is important because it is universal, and because the education it bestows, being woven in with the woof of childhood, gives form and color to the whole texture of social life. There are few who can receive the honors of a college, but all are graduates of the hearth.
1838, [Samuel Griswold Goodrich], “The Fireside”, in Fireside Education. […], New York, N.Y.: Samuel Colman, page 71
The blind old scholar—whose proud truthfulness would never enter into that commerce of feigned and preposterous admiration which, varied by a corresponding measureless in vituperation, made the woof of all learned intercourse—had fallen into neglect even among his fellow-citizens, […]
1862 July – 1863 August, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], “The Old Man’s Hope”, in Romola. […], volume I, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], published 1863, book I, page 315
verb
third-person singular simple present woofs, present participle woofing, simple past and past participle woofed
(weaving) To place (yarns) crosswise at right angles to and interlaced with the warp in a loom.
Quotations
And warp well the long threads, / The bright threads, the strong threads; / Woof well the cross threads, / To make the colours shine.
1894, Alice C[laire] MacDonell, “The Weaving of the Tartan”, in Elizabeth A[melia] Sharp, editor, Lyra Celtica: An Anthology of Representative Celtic Poetry […], Edinburgh: Patrick Geddes and Colleagues […], published 1896, page 252
After de yarn was spin, it was reeled off de spools into hanks and then took to de warper. Then she woofed it, warped it, and loomed it into cloth. Her make for yards in a day.
1936–1938, W. W. Dixon, quoting Dan Smith, “Dan Smith: Ex-slave 75 Years ”, in Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves […], volume XIV (South Carolina Narratives), part 4, Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, published 1941, page 97
(figurative) To interweave (something) with another thing; to weave (several things) together.
Quotations
Here and there, where the land has not been cleared and the tide of dense swamp-forest closes upon the road, one gazes into the fearful tangle of vegetation, warped and woofed together by lianas and creeping plants of every description, and then realises what the work of clearing has been.
1922 July, Mrs. Cecil Clementi [Marie Penelope Rose Eyres], “An Odyssey of Fourteen Rivers”, in Blackwood’s Magazine, American edition, volume CCXII, number MCCLXXXI, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publication Co., Barr Ferree, prop[rietor] […], page 6, column 2
Many would contest the view (which [Patricia Nelson] Limerick shares with [Gerald D.] Nash) that the '60s generation was forged by some common experience, and warped and woofed into a programmatic consensus of evaluative priorities and analytical strategies.
1997, Jerome Frisk, “The Theoretical (Re)Positions of the New Western History”, in Forrest G[len] Robinson, editor, The New Western History: The Territory Ahead, Tucson, Ariz.: University of Arizona Press, published 1998, page 23
woof2
interjection
Used to indicate the sound of a dog barking, or something resembling it.
Quotations
"Woof" came another [anti-aircraft] shell, and then in quick succession another and another, the last one dead ahead and with such correct elevation that, a second later, the machine flashed through the streaming black smoke of the burst.
1918, Boyd Cable [pseudonym], “Bring Home the ’Bus”, in Air Men o’ War, London: John Murray, […], page 14
[…] Ricardo [a collie] made the announcement in his usual manner—with suppressed exclamatory "woofs" that always sounded to Kimball like small explosions of canine emotion. And, also according to custom, Friday [a bear cub] promptly grew inexpressibly interested and excited. Those "woof" noises always were interpreted by him as warnings of the approach of something whose status as friend or foe had not yet been determined. […] Friday gave vent to a series of "woofs" in imitation of Ricardo […]
1933 March, E. Waldo Long, “Ricardo Draws the Line”, in Boys’ Life. The Boy Scouts’ Magazine, volume XXIII, number 3, New York, N.Y.: Boy Scouts of America, page 10, column 1
Startled bears often make a ‘whoosh’ or ‘woof’ sound as they turn to run. As long as bears run, don’t be alarmed. If, however, bears stand their ground and begin a series of woofs (like air forced out of a bellows), or pop their teeth together, or both, then this is your invitation to leave.
1985 February, Michael Parfit, “Kodiak: ‘Twice as Good as Anybody!’”, in Connie Bourassa-Shaw, editor, Islands: An International Magazine, Santa Barbara, Calif.: Islands Publishing Company, page 47, column 2
noun
plural woofs
(by extension) A sound resembling a dog's bark; specifically (sound engineering), a low-frequency sound of bad quality produced by a loudspeaker.
Quotations
Calls [of the mantled howler monkey] include woofs, grunts, barks, and howls. […] A series of loud, low barks or woofs precede the long roar.
1997, Fiona A. Reid, “Monkeys (Order Primates)”, in A Field Guide to the Mammals of Central America & Southeast Mexico, New York, N.Y.; Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, page 179, column 1
verb
third-person singular simple present woofs, present participle woofing, simple past and past participle woofed
(transitive)
(intransitive)
Quotations
A nondescript cur came out from behind the house, stopped in surprise, and started good-naturedly woof-woofing at me, his eyes slit, his shaggy belly all muddy, and then walked about a little and woofed once more.
1955, Vladimir Nabokov, chapter 28, in Lolita, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: G[eorge] P[almer] Putnam’s Sons, published August 1958, part 2, page 271
At the same time, Prince and Shep, who were a part of the household, whined and woofed a time or two, then rose from their rag mats to welcome me with dignity, quite unlike the savage malamutes that would have taken a pound of flesh and enjoyed it if their chains had snapped as I came up the lane.
1988, May Wynne Lamb, “Arrival in Akiak”, in Dorothy Wynne Zimmerman, editor, Life in Alaska: The Reminiscences of a Kansas Woman, 1916–1919, Lincoln, Neb.; London: University of Nebraska Press, page 48
Dogs effectively train us to be a chef, waiter, commissionaire, promenade companion, masseur, chauffeur, porter/caddy (the paraphernalia we carry for dogs), and personal trainer (throw the ball, throw the Frisbee, throw the ball, throw the Frisbee …). […] The dog woofs, or rings a bell on a string, and we get up and open the door for them to go outside, and then to come back inside, to get in the car, to get out of the car, to go into buildings … It never stops.
2023 December, Ian Dunbar, “Lure-reward Training Secrets”, in Barking Up the Right Tree: The Science and Practice of Positive Dog Training, Novato, Calif.: New World Library, part 1 (The Nature of Dogs and Reward-based Training), page 87
Of a person or thing: to make a sound resembling a dog's bark.
Quotations
A few minutes later a new [grizzly] bear came out on the big log upstream— […] Within seconds she knew something was wrong. She woofed, bounded off the log and came raging down toward us through the timber. There, not far away, she smashed back and forth, woofing and growling.
1963 November 8, Don Moser, “An Archer Stalks the Mighty Grizzly”, in Henry R[obinson] Luce, editor, Life, volume 55, number 19, Chicago, Ill., New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., page 115, column 1
An abrupt, loud wuu is occasionally emitted by a startled animal. For example, […] a cub woofed after a lioness slapped it suddenly at a kill. Once a monitor lizard lashed its tail at the face of a lioness and she woofed as she jumped back.
1972, George B[eals] Schaller, “Behavior within the Group”, in The Serengeti Lion: A Study of Predator–Prey Relations (Wildlife Behavior and Ecology Series), Chicago, Ill.: University of Chicago Press, published 1976, part II (The Lion), page 105
(African-American Vernacular, figurative) To speak in an aggressive or boastful manner.
Quotations
"Miss, you know uh heap uh dese hard heads wants to woof at you but dey skeered." / "How come, Mr. Pitts? Do I look like a bear or panther?" / "Naw, but dey say youse rich and dey ain't got de nerve to open dey mouf."
1935, Zora Neale Hurston, “‘John Henry’”, in Mules and Men, 1st Perennial Library edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Row, published 1970, part I (Folk Tales), section III, page 89
Woofing, sometimes called "wolfing," is a communication strategy used to insult or threaten an opponent. […] Generally, woofing takes two forms. It can be an insult game or a demonstration of intimidation. […] Woofing builds esteem and identity, releases tension, and teaches self-control and verbal skill.A noun use.
2010, “Woofing/Wolfing”, in Jessie Carney Smith, editor, Encyclopedia of African American Popular Culture, Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood Publishing Group, page 1537
woof3
noun
(agriculture) Acronym of work on an organic farm.
Quotations
Colton [Kuhn] woke up one day consumed by a post-breakup depression. It was then that he'd decided to sign up for the WOOF program, to travel the world and work on an organic farm in a unique destination.
2020 February 20, Alyssa Therrien, “Washington-based coffee company using profits to send animals to sanctuaries”, in Daily Hive, Vancouver, B.C.: Buzz Connected Media, archived from the original on 2021-09-20
verb
third-person singular simple present woofs, present participle woofing, simple past and past participle woofed
(intransitive, agriculture) Alternative form of wwoof
Quotations
To the list one could add "medical tourism" (travel to places for more readily available surgeries, treatments, and pharmaceuticals); volunteer tourism, or "voluntourism" (where people donate time and labor to in areas hit by hardship); and "woofing" (derived from World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, a loose network that helps people travel to foreign countries to work on organic farms and perhaps learn another language).
2020, Daniel P. Reynolds, Postcards from Auschwitz
In fact, as with other types of stay, "woofing in Damanhur can also be a way of getting closer to the Community: after woofing some have continued with the New Life experience and become citizens"
2022, Stefania Palmisano, Nicola Pannofino, Damanhur: An Esoteric Community Open to the World, page 189