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Having the shape of a thread or filament; as, the filiform papillæ of the tongue; a filiform style or peduncle. See Illust. of AntennÆ.

Suspended by, or strung upon, a thread; -- said of tuberous swellings in the middle or at the extremities of slender, threadlike rootlets.

The thread of a screw.

A slender thread, as that of a cobweb. Her whip of cricket's bone, the lash of film. Shak.

Terminating in a threadlike process.

A kind of silk thread less glossy than floss, and spun from coarser material. It is much used in embroidery instead of floss.

Not thick or heavy; slender; filmy; as, a fine thread.

Spun so as to be fine; drawn to a fine thread; attenuated; hence, unsubstantial; visionary; as, finespun theories.

about a foot and a half high, with blue flowers. The fiber of the bark is used for making thread and cloth, called linen, cambric, lawn, lace, etc. Linseed oil is expressed from the seed.

olor of flax; of a light soft straw color; fair and flowing, like flax or tow; as, flaxen thread; flaxen hair.

A flake; a thread or twist. [Obs.] Little long fleaks or threads of hemp. Dr. H. More.

plastering first laid on, to serve as a guide for the thickness of the coat. -- Floating threads (Weaving), threads which span several other threads without being interwoven with them, in a woven fabric.

se 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.

To develop; to make thrive; to expand. [Obs.] Bottoms of thread . . . which with a good needle, perhaps flourished into large works. Bacon.

A surface formed of floating threads.

The pair of arms attached to the spindle of a spinning frame, over which the thread passes to the bobbin; -- so called from their swift revolution. See Fly, n., 11.

To wear out or into shreads, or to suffer injury by rubbing, as when the threads of the warp or of the woof wear off so that the cross threads are loose; to ravel; as, the cloth frays badly. A suit of frayed magnificience. tennyson.

sisting sometimes of projecting ends, twisted or plaited together, and sometimes of loose threads of wool, silk, or linen, or narrow strips of leather, or the like.

An oblong cloak button, covered with netted thread, and fastening into a loop instead of a button hole.

gether in folds or plaits, as a garment; also, to draw together, as a piece of cloth by a thread; to pucker; to plait; as, to gather a ruffle. Gathering his flowing robe, he seemed to stand In act to speak, and graceful stretched his hand. Pope.