Adjacent Words

Loom definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

LOOM, n.
1. In composition, heir-loom, in law, is a personal chattel that by special custom descends to an heir with the inheritance, being such a thing as cannot be separated from the estate, without injury to it; such as jewels of the crown, charters, deeds, and the like.
2. A frame or machine of wood or other material, in which a weaver works threads into cloth.
Hector, when he sees Andromache overwhelmed with terror, sends her for consolation to the loom and the distaff.
3. A fowl of the size of a goose.
4. That part of an oar which is within board.
LOOM, v.i.
To appear above the surface either of sea or land, or to appear larger than the real dimensions and indistinctly; as a distant object, a ship at sea, or a mountain. The ship looms large, or the land looms high.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a textile machine for weaving yarn into a textile v
1: come into view indistinctly, often threateningly; "Another air plane loomed into the sky"
2: appear very large or occupy a commanding position; "The huge sculpture predominates over the fountain"; "Large shadows loomed on the canyon wall" [syn: loom, tower, predominate, hulk]
3: hang over, as of something threatening, dark, or menacing; "The terrible vision brooded over her all day long" [syn: brood, hover, loom, bulk large]
4: weave on a loom; "materials loomed in Egypt"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English lome tool, loom, from Old English gel?ma tool; akin to Middle Dutch allame tool Date: 15th century a frame or machine for interlacing at right angles two or more sets of threads or yarns to form a cloth II. intransitive verb Etymology: origin unknown Date: circa 1541 1. to come into sight in enlarged or distorted and indistinct form often as a result of atmospheric conditions 2. a. to appear in an impressively great or exaggerated form <deficits loomed large> b. to take shape as an impending occurrence III. noun Date: 1836 the indistinct and exaggerated appearance of something seen on the horizon or through fog or darkness; also a looming shadow or reflection

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. an apparatus for weaving yarn or thread into fabric. Etymology: ME lome f. OE geloma tool 2. v. & n. --v.intr. (often foll. by up) 1 come into sight dimly, esp. as a vague and often magnified or threatening shape. 2 (of an event or prospect) be ominously close. --n. a vague often exaggerated first appearance of land at sea etc. Etymology: prob. f. LG or Du.: cf. E Fris. lomen move slowly, MHG lüemen be weary

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Loom Loom, n. (Zo["o]l.) See Loon, the bird.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Loom Loom, n. [OE. lome, AS. gel?ma utensil, implement.] 1. A frame or machine of wood or other material, in which a weaver forms cloth out of thread; a machine for interweaving yarn or threads into a fabric, as in knitting or lace making. Hector, when he sees Andromache overwhelmed with terror, sends her for consolation to the loom and the distaff. --Rambler. 2. (Naut.) That part of an oar which is near the grip or handle and inboard from the rowlock. --Totten.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Loom Loom, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Loomed; p. pr. & vb. n. Looming.] [OE. lumen to shine, Icel. ljoma; akin to AS. le['o]ma light, and E. light; or cf. OF. lumer to shine, L. luminare to illumine, lumen light; akin to E. light. ? See Light not dark.] 1. To appear above the surface either of sea or land, or to appear enlarged, or distorted and indistinct, as a distant object, a ship at sea, or a mountain, esp. from atmospheric influences; as, the ship looms large; the land looms high. Awful she looms, the terror of the main. --H. J. Pye. 2. To rise and to be eminent; to be elevated or ennobled, in a moral sense. On no occasion does he [Paul] loom so high, and shine so gloriously, as in the context. --J. M. Mason.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Loom Loom, n. The state of looming; esp., an unnatural and indistinct appearance of elevation or enlargement of anything, as of land or of a ship, seen by one at sea.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(looms, looming, loomed) 1. If something looms over you, it appears as a large or unclear shape, often in a frightening way. ...the bleak mountains that loomed out of the blackness and towered around us. VERB: V prep/adv, also V 2. If a worrying or threatening situation or event is looming, it seems likely to happen soon. (JOURNALISM) Another government spending crisis is looming in the United States... The threat of renewed civil war looms ahead. ...the looming threat of recession. VERB: V, V adv/prep, V-ing 3. A loom is a machine that is used for weaving thread into cloth. N-COUNT

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

loom.

See WEAVING.

Moby Thesaurus

anticipate, appear, approach, arise, ascend, await, be destined, be fated, be imminent, be in store, be to be, be to come, become manifest, become visible, braid, brew, bulk, bulk large, come, come forth, come forward, come in sight, come on, come out, come to hand, come to light, come up, coming, confront, crop out, curl upwards, dominate, draw near, draw nigh, draw on, emerge, enlace, enter, entwine, exceed, expect, face, fade in, foresee, foretell, forthcome, forthcoming, futurity, gather, go up, grow up, hand loom, hang over, heave in sight, hope, hover, hover over, immediate future, imminence, impend, impendence, impendency, interknit, interlace, intertie, intertissue, intertwine, intertwist, interweave, intort, issue, issue forth, knit, knitting machine, lace, levitate, lie ahead, lie over, look for, look forth, look forward to, loom large, loop, lower, make up, mat, materialize, menace, mount, near, near future, net, noose, outcrop, outsoar, outstrip, overhang, overshadow, overtop, peep out, plait, plan, pleach, plot, predict, predominate, project, prophesy, raddle, rear, rear its head, rear up, rise, rise above, rise up, see the light, show, show up, shuttle, soar, spiral, spire, splice, stand out, stand up, stream forth, strike the eye, surface, surge, swarm up, sweep up, take form, take shape, threaten, tissue, tower, tower above, transcend, turn up, twill, twine, twist, up, upgo, upgrow, upheave, uprise, upspin, upstream, upsurge, upswarm, upwind, wattle, weave, weaver, web, wreathe