furl

English

Etymology

Perhaps from Old French ferlier, modern French ferler.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɝl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(r)l

Verb

furl (third-person singular simple present furls, present participle furling, simple past and past participle furled)

1. (transitive) To lower, roll up and secure (something, such as a sail or flag)
   • 1866, Charles Dickens, The Signal-Man‎^[1]:

     When he heard a voice thus calling to him, he was standing at the door of his box, with a flag in his hand, furled round its short pole.

   • 1994 July 25, Jack Winter, “How I met my wife”, in The New Yorker:

     I was furling my wieldy umbrella for the coat check when I saw her standing alone in a corner.

Antonyms

• unfurl

Translations

to lower, roll up and secure something

• Bulgarian: свивам (bg) (svivam), сгъвам (bg) (sgǎvam), прибирам (bg) (pribiram)
• Dutch: gekruld (nl)
• Finnish: laskea (fi)
• French: ferler (fr)
• Galician: aferrar (gl)
• German: aufrollen, bergen (de), einrollen
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: ammainare (it), chiudere (it)
• Maori: rīwhi
• Norman: patchi, sèrrer
• Russian: свёртывать (ru) (svjórtyvatʹ)
• Spanish: aferrar (es), recoger (es)