Pilling

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The buildup of tiny fiber clusters on material surfaces occurs through wear and friction
2. Small, fuzzy balls on fabrics form as a result of repeated use and abrasion from contact
3. The creation of tiny tangled balls of fiber on cloth surfaces due to friction and use

Etymology: The verb comes from the noun "pill," and the noun's history is more tangled than the fuzz it describes. "Pill" entered English in Middle English as a borrowing from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch "pille," probably ultimately from Latin "pila" and "pilula," the diminutive of "pila" (ball). So the medicinal tablet and the little ball share a Latin ancestor, though the cloth sense arrived by a different route. That different route is the surprise. "Pilling" in its fabric sense is a derivative of the verb "to pill," which came from Middle English "pillen" or "pilen," from Old English "pilian," meaning "to peel." That verb traces to Latin "pilare" ("to depilate"), from "pilus" ("hair"). Peeling and pilling are doublets: two forms of one ancient word that split apart in English, one keeping the sense of stripping a surface, the other shaping into a ball of loose fibers.

Synonyms: fuzzing, fraying