1. A very small twist of flax, wool, cotton, silk, or other fibrous substance, drawn out to considerable
length; a compound cord consisting of two or more single yarns doubled, or joined together, and twisted.
2. A filament, as of a flower, or of any fibrous substance, as of bark; also, a line of gold or silver.
3. The prominent part of the spiral of a screw or nut; the rib. See Screw, n., 1.
4. Fig.: Something continued in a long course or tenor; a,s the thread of life, or of a discourse. Bp.
Burnet.
5. Fig.: Composition; quality; fineness. [Obs.]
A neat courtier,
Of a most elegant thread.
B. Jonson. Air thread, the fine white filaments which are seen floating in the air in summer, the production of spiders; gossamer.
— Thread and thrum, the good and bad together. [Obs.] Shak. — Thread cell (Zoöl.), a lasso cell.
See under Lasso. — Thread herring (Zoöl.), the gizzard shad. See under Gizzard. — Thread lace,
lace made of linen thread. — Thread needle, a game in which children stand in a row, joining hands,
and in which the outer one, still holding his neighbor, runs between the others; — called also thread the
needle.
Thread
(Thread), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Threaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Threading.]
1. To pass a thread through the eye of; as, to thread a needle.
2. To pass or pierce through as a narrow way; also, to effect or make, as one's way, through or between
obstacles; to thrid.
Heavy trading ships . . . threading the Bosphorus.
Mitford.
They would not thread the gates.
Shak. 3. To form a thread, or spiral rib, on or in; as, to thread a screw or nut.
Threadbare
(Thread"bare`) a.
1. Worn to the naked thread; having the nap worn off; threadbare clothes. "A threadbare cope." Chaucer.
2. Fig.: Worn out; as, a threadbare subject; stale topics and threadbare quotations. Swift.
Threadbareness
(Thread"bare`ness), n. The state of being threadbare.
Threaden
(Thread"en) a. Made of thread; as, threaden sails; a threaden fillet. [Obs.] Shak.
Threader
(Thread"er) n.
1. A device for assisting in threading a needle.
2. A tool or machine for forming a thread on a screw or in a nut.
Threadfin
(Thread"fin`) n. (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of fishes belonging to Polynemus and
allied genera. They have numerous long pectoral filaments.
Threadfish
(Thread"fish`) n. (Zoöl.) (a) The cutlass fish. (b) A carangoid fish (Caranx gallus, or C.
crinitus) having the anterior rays of the soft dorsal and anal fins prolonged in the form of long threads.
Threadiness
(Thread"i*ness) n. Quality of being thready.
