Obs. exc. dial. Also 4 fylter, 5 filter, 6 feltir, 8 falter; and see FEWTER. [ad. OF. feltrer, f. feltre felt = It. feltro:—med.L. filtrum: see FILTER sb. Cf. It. feltrare.]
1. trans. To tangle (hair, etc.); to mat together. Also, to fetter together.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 1689. Faxe fyltered.
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 1078. His fax and his foretoppe was filterede togeders.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., 85. With a hede lyke a clowde felterd his here.
1549. Compl. Scot., vii. 68. Hyr hayr … vas feltrit & trachlit out of ordour.
1598. Tofte, Alba (1880), 40.
| Phoebus no more doth combe his tresses faire, | |
| But careles lets them feltred hang in th’ aire. |
1615. Markham, The English House-wife, II. v. (1668), 123. So divide the wooll, as not any part thereof may be feltred or close together, but open and loose.
1641. H. Best, Rural Economy in Yorkshire in 1641 (Surtees), 57. They [pea-roots] pull the best when they are the most feltered togeather.
1876. C. C. Robinson, Mid-Yorksh. Gloss., Felter, to clot.
† b. intr. To make a felted or matted surface.
1621. Markham, Prev. Hunger (1655), 157–8. Bird-lyme (whose cleauing and sticking nature almost no man is so Ignorant as not to vnderstand) when it is gotten vpon the feathers, doth so stick & felter vpon the same, that it is almost in no wise to be taken away, but doth so disable the Hawke.
2. trans. To entangle or catch as in a net. Of a garment: To cling about, encumber. Cf. FALTER v.2
1567. Sat. Poems Reform., iv. 129.
| Quhair Venus anis gettis in hir gouernance | |
| Sic sylit subiectis felterit in hir snair, | |
| Wisdome is exilit and prudent puruoyance. |
1596. Dalrymple, trans. Leslie’s Hist. Scot. (1888), I. 109. Quhen now in wardlie effairis thay war sa feltired.
1597. James I., Demonol., III. Wks. (1616), 129. That hee may thereby have them feltred the sikerer in his snares.
1768. A. Ross, The Fortunate Shepherdess, I. 57.
| Wi’ bleeding legs, an’ fair misguided shoon, | |
| An’ Lindy’s coat ay feltring her aboon. |
1876. Whitby Gloss., Felter’d, entangled; stunned or confused.
† 3. intr. a. To be huddled together. b. To mingle in carnal intercourse. c. To join in strife; also, to felter together.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 224. Fylter fenden folk forty dayez lencþe. Ibid., B. 696. & fylter folyly in fere, on femmalez wyse. Ibid., B. 1191. Þay feȝt & þay fende of, & fylter togeder.
c. 1340. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 986. I schal fonde, bi my fayth, to fylter wyth þe best.
† 4. trans. = FILTER v. Obs.
1563. Hyll, Art Garden. (1593), 152. They may so drop continually water on them in the forme of feltring.
1610. B. Jonson, Alch., II. iii. Let the water in Glasse E be feltred.
Hence Feltering vbl. sb., the action of the vb. FELTER. In quot. concr. a matted lock.
1615. Markham, The English House-wife, II. v. (1668), 123. With a pair of sheers (the fleece lying as it were whole before her) she shall cut away all the course locks, pitch, brands, tard-locks, and other felterings, and lay them by themselves for course Coverlids, or the like.
