fuller's earth

2 definitions found

fuller's earth - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Fuller \Full"er\, n. [AS. fullere, fr. L. fullo. See Full, v.
     t.]
     One whose occupation is to full cloth.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Fuller's earth, a variety of clay, used in scouring and
        cleansing cloth, to imbibe grease.
  
     Fuller's herb (Bot.), the soapwort (Saponaria  officinalis
        ), formerly used to remove stains from cloth.
        
  
     Fuller's thistle or Fuller's weed (Bot.), the teasel
        (Dipsacus fullonum) whose burs are used by fullers in
        dressing cloth. See Teasel.
        [1913 Webster]

fuller's earth - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  fuller's earth
      n 1: an absorbent soil resembling clay; used in fulling
           (shrinking and thickening) woolen cloth and as an adsorbent