Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
underfur

underfur

7.2
Dense soft hair under an animal's longer outer hairs that keeps it warm
  • noun
  • /ˈʌndərˌfɜr/
  • Specialized
translation icon : subpelo

Examples

  • Whinney's shaggy coat was heavy even in summer, though it would be much thicker in winter when the dense underfur grew in.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • PHOTO (COLOR): Rounded ears, dense underfur, and fur on the soles of their feet help keep arctic foxes warm at temperatures as low as -50 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Academic text (1998)

  • The thick underfur of the polar bear provides essential insulation against the freezing temperatures.

  • During the winter, many animals develop a layer of underfur for warmth beneath their outer coat.

  • The underfur of the rabbit is soft and dense, helping to keep it warm in cold weather.

Synonyms

fur
vsunderfur
279 1.0

Soft thick hair that covers some animals or the material used for warm coats

is the specific inner layer beneath outer guard hairs that provides insulation
undercoat
vsunderfur
1 6.1

A thick soft layer of fur under the longer outer hairs that keeps an animal warm

is the inner insulating layer focusing on warmth rather than outer hair

Surface Forms

underfur singular
underfurs plural

Morphology

underfur = fur (transparent) = under + fur

The word is transparently formed by combining 'under' and 'fur', indicating the layer of fur beneath the outer layer.

Etymology

The word underfur comes from under ('below') and fur ('animal hair'). Think of it like 'underwear' for an animal's coat, a soft, dense layer under the outer hairs that keeps the animal warm.