▪ I. furl, n.
(fɜːl)
[f. next vb.]
1. A roll, coil, or curl of any furled body.
| 1643 Wither Campo Musæ 17 [Who] Hath taken downe, one furle of his proud sailes. 1746–7 Hervey Medit. (1818) 180 Ye vernal Clouds, furls of finer air, folds of softer moisture. |
2. The action of furling or state of being furled, the manner in which a sail is furled.
| 1836 E. Howard R. Reefer xxxii, That part of the sail..was wanted to be rolled in with the furl. 1840 R. H. Dana Bef. Mast xxiii. 70 Every sailor knows that a vessel is judged of, a good deal, by the furl of her sails. |
▪ II. furl, v.
(fɜːl)
[prob., as Prof. Skeat suggests, an alteration of furdle v.
This cannot, however, be considered certain, as furdle may have been due to a mixture of furl and fardle. Cf. the synonymous F. ferler (by Littré regarded as adopted from Eng.), also early mod.F. fresler (cited s.v. frill).]
1. trans. ‘To roll up and bind (a sail) neatly upon its respective yard or boom’ (Adm. Smyth); to roll or gather up (a flag) into small compass. Also with up. to furl in a body, the bunt (see furling vbl. n. 1).
| 1556 W. Towrson in Hakluyt Voy. (1589) 113 Offering vs, if wee woulde, to furle his Flagges, and to be at our commaundement in all things. 1626 Sir F. Drake revived in Arb. Garner V. 500 A ship..which..had not yet furled her sprit-sail. 1647 Ward Simp Cobler 33 By furling up all the Ensignes. 1712 W. Rogers Voy. 24 A Sailor going up to furl the Main-Top-Gallant Sail, fell. 1720 Lond. Gaz. No. 5917/3 They furled their Colours and began to fly. 1748 Anson's Voy. iii. ii. (ed. 4) 413 We were full five hours in furling our sails. 1775 Tender Father II. 142 The method of furling up a pair of colours. 1842 Tennyson Locksley Hall 127 Till..the battle-flags were furl'd In the Parliament of man. 1876 Saunders Lion in Path vii, The fisherman furls his sail. |
b. transf. and fig.
| a 1657 Lovelace Poems (1864) 232 All the hopes of your reward you furl. 1659 D. Pell Impr. Sea 318 When providence has been pleased to furle up the foggy curtains of the Heavens. 1713 Guardian No. 11 ¶8 She on a sudden..furl'd her fan. 1742 Lond. & Country Brew. i. (ed. 4) 65 This Paper must be furled or twisted round the Bung. 1801 Southey Thalaba iii. v, Moath furl'd the tent. 1816 Scott Old Mort. xi, I hope my sister-in-law is well—furl up the bed-curtain. 1847 Alb. Smith Chr. Tadpole viii. (1879) 84 The umbrella was directly furled. 1861 Lytton & Fane Tannhäuser 15 But, furl'd beneath that florid surface, lurk'd A vice of nature, breeding death, not life. 1863 F. A. Kemble Resid. Georgia 69 The eagle..furled his great wings. |
† 2. To twist or curl (hair). In quot. absol. Cf. frill v. Obs.
| 1606 Sylvester Du Bartas ii. iv. ii. Magnif. 742 One..Combs out at length her goodly golden locks..Th'other..Frizzles and Furls in Curls and Rings a-part. |
† b. Of a lion: To ruffle (its mane). Obs.
| 1682 Tate Abs. & Achit. ii. 837 [The lion] Disdaining furls his mane and tears the ground. |
† 3. To make undulations on (a surface); to furrow, wrinkle. Obs.
| 1681 J. Chetham Angler's Vade-m. x. §1 (1689) 98 Cloudy and windy day that furls the Water. 1742 Shenstone Schoolmistr. 261 He..furls his wrinkly front, and cries, ‘What stuff is here!’ a 1763 ― Odes, etc. (1765) 206 Nor bite your lip, nor furl your brow. |
4. To swathe or envelope in or with something twisted or folded. Now rare.
| 1712 Steele Spect. No. 53 ¶8 A Purple Canopy furled with curious Wreaths of Drapery. 1806 A. Duncan Nelson's Funeral 29 His staff tipped with silver, and furled with sarsnet. a 1850 Rossetti Dante & Circ. i. (1874) 184 When its flesh is furl'd Within a shroud. |
5. intr. To become furled: to be rolled or gathered up in a spiral or twisted form; to curl up.
| 1676 Lond. Gaz. No. 1130/4 Her Foresail and Foretopsail furling aloft. 1686 Goad Celest. Bodies i. ii. 2 It [a fog] sometimes casts it self into Threds or Ropes, and by the warmth of the Sun furls up into Gossamere. 1816 Byron Siege Cor. xi, The banners drooped along their staves And as they fell around them furling. 1821 ― Juan iii. lxxii, Her..Turkish trousers furl'd Above the prettiest ankle in the world. |
b. (with from, off.) To roll away (like passing clouds). Also (nonce-use) of the sky, to furl asunder.
| 1814 Prophetess iii. v, The Trojan ruins burning, and the skies Furling asunder, that the Gods may view Their dreadful warrants rig'rously fulfill'd. 1844 Lowell Poems, Forlorn viii, And years of misery and sin Furl off, and leave her heaven blue. ― Captive v, The dread, like mist in sunshine, Furled serenely from her mind. 1859 Miss Mulock Romant. T. 206 The clouds furled off from the sky. |
¶ 6. Misused for unfurl.
| 1798 Pennant Hindoostan II. 153 A lady.. laid hold of an umbrella, and furling it full in the animal's face, terrified it so that it instantly retired. |
Hence furled ppl. a. Also ˈfurler, one who furls: only in comb., as sail furler.
| a 1659 Cleveland May Day i, Why shroud Ye up your selves in the furl'd Sails of Night? c 1860 H. Stuart Seaman's Catech. 45 The sailfurlers go below. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Gasket, a cord..to secure furled sails to the yard. |