Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
wool fat

wool fat

6.9
A yellow, greasy material from sheep's wool used in creams and skin products
  • noun
  • /wʊl fæt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : lanolina
  • The ointment contains purified wool fat to help soothe dry skin.

Examples

  • Many cosmetics companies utilize wool fat for its moisturizing properties.

  • She applied wool fat to her dry skin.

  • Lanolin is derived from wool fat and is widely used in skin creams.

  • Many cosmetics contain wool fat for added moisture.

  • Lanolin is derived from wool fat and is widely used in skin creams.

  • Many cosmetics companies utilize wool fat for its moisturizing properties.

  • The ointment contains purified wool fat to help soothe dry skin.

Synonyms

lanolin
vswool fat
2 7.5

A yellow wax from sheep's wool that people put in creams to soften and protect skin

has identical meaning but is the more traditional name used in many texts
wool grease
vswool fat
  • Specialized
8.4

A yellow oily product from sheep's wool that softens skin

is a greasier, waxy base used in creams rather than mainly oily components

Surface Forms

wool fat singular
wool fats plural

Morphology

wool + fat

The meaning 'a greasy/oily substance from sheep's wool' is directly and compositionally derivable from combining 'wool' (sheep hair) and 'fat' (oily substance) as a noun+noun compound indicating source. This follows common cross-linguistic patterns (e.g. 'grasa de lana', 'graisse de laine') and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents even if they do not know the technical term 'lanolin'.

Etymology

Wool fat comes from the greasy substance found in a sheep's coat: wool holds a yellow, oily fat that people collect and clean into 'lanolin' for skin creams. That's why the name refers to the oily base used in ointments and cosmetics.