from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Floss \Floss\ (?; 195), n. [It. floscio flabby, soft, fr. L.
fluxus flowing, loose, slack. See {Flux}, n.]
1. (Bot.) The slender styles of the pistillate flowers of
maize; also called {silk}.
[1913 Webster]
2. Untwisted filaments of silk, used in embroidering.
[1913 Webster]
3. A body feather of an ostrich. Flosses are soft, and gray
from the female and black from the male.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
{Floss silk}, silk that has been twisted, and which retains
its loose and downy character. It is much used in
embroidery. Called also {floxed silk}.
{Floss thread}, a kind of soft flaxen yarn or thread, used
for embroidery; -- called also {linen floss}, and {floss
yarn}. --McElrath.
[1913 Webster]