German

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Etymology

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From Middle High German visel m or f. The modern form with -u- is a Central German variant. Further origin unknown. Probably related to German Faser. Compare in particular Dutch vezel.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈfʊsəl/, [ˈfʊsəl], [ˈfʊsl̩] (prescriptive standard)
  • IPA(key): /ˈfʊzəl/, [ˈfʊzəl], [ˈfʊzl̩] (common variant; not restricted to accents with general voicing of /s/)
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

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Fussel m or (rare) n (mixed or strong, genitive Fussels, plural Fusseln or Fussel) or
Fussel f (genitive Fussel, plural Fusseln)

  1. fluff, lint of fabric, wool, etc.
    Synonym: Fluse

Usage notes

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  • Some dictionaries give the word as exclusively or chiefly feminine, but the masculine gender seems now predominant. The neuter is rare.
  • Fussel is one of a small number of German nouns which can or historically could have all three genders; see the appendix.

Declension

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Derived terms

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Further reading

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  • Fussel” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • Fussel” in Duden online