flock
noun/flɒk/
/flɑːk/
- [countable + singular or plural verb] a group of sheep, goats or birds of the same type
- flock (of something) He looks after a flock of 500 sheep.
- in flocks These birds fly in huge flocks.
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- [countable + singular or plural verb] a large group of people, especially of the same type
- flock (of somebody) a flock of children/reporters
- in flocks They came in flocks to see the procession.
- [countable + singular or plural verb] (literary) the group of people who regularly attend the church of a particular priest, etc.
- [uncountable] small pieces of soft material used for filling cushions, chairs, etc.
- a flock mattress
- [uncountable] small pieces of soft material on the surface of paper or cloth that produce a raised pattern
- flock wallpaper
Word Originnoun senses 1 to 3 Old English flocc, of unknown origin. The original sense was ‘a band or body of people’: this became obsolete, but has been reintroduced as a transferred use of the sense ‘a number of animals kept together’. noun senses 4 to 5 Middle English: from Old French floc, from Latin floccus ‘lock or tuft of wool’.
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