floccus - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Borrowed from Latin floccus.

floccus (plural flocci)

1. (meteorology) A cloud species which consists of rounded tufts of cloud, often formed by dissipation from larger cloud species. Associated with cirrus, cirrocumulus, altocumulus, and stratocumulus genera.^[1]
2. A flock or tuft of wool or wool-like hairs; the downy plumage of unfledged birds.

Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰlok-, related to Old High German blaha (“linen, canvas”), Old Swedish blan, bla, both from Proto-Germanic *blahǭ, *blagwǭ (“cloth, linen”), and Old Norse blæja, which is from Proto-Germanic *blahjǭ (“linen, cloth”).^[1]

Alternatively, from Proto-West Germanic *flokkō (“down, wool, flock”), from Proto-Germanic *flukkô (“down, piece of wool, flake, fluff”), from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (“hair, fibres, tuft”).

floccus m (genitive floccī); second declension

1. tuft, wisp of wool
2. (figuratively) trifle (thing of little importance)

Second-declension noun.

• floccī nōn faciō
• floccōsus
• flocculus

• “floccus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “floccus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• floccus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.