Wiredrawn

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Wiredraw \Wire"draw`\, v. t. [imp. {Wiredrew}; p. p.
     {Wiredrawn}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Wiredrawing}.]
     [1913 Webster]
     1. To form (a piece of metal) into wire, by drawing it
        through a hole in a plate of steel.
        [1913 Webster]


  
     2. Hence, to draw by art or violence.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              My sense has been wiredrawn into blasphemy.
                                                    --Dryden.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. Hence, also, to draw or spin out to great length and
        tenuity; as, to wiredraw an argument.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Such twisting, such wiredrawing, was never seen in a
              court of justice.                     --Macaulay.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. (Steam Engine) To pass, or to draw off, (as steam) through
        narrow ports, or the like, thus reducing its pressure or
        force by friction.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  wiredrawn
       See {wiredraw}

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  65 Moby Thesaurus words for "wiredrawn":
     airy, attenuate, attenuated, boyish, dainty, delicate, diaphanous,
     diluted, downy, ethereal, filmy, fine, fine-drawn, fine-grained,
     finespun, flimsy, fluffy, frail, fuzzy, gauzy, girlish, gossamer,
     gossamery, gracile, insubstantial, lacy, light, misty, papery,
     pubescent, rare, rarefied, refined, satin, satiny, silky, slender,
     slenderish, slight, slight-made, slim, slimmish, slinky, small,
     smooth, subtle, svelte, sylphlike, tenuous, thin, thin-bodied,
     thin-set, thin-spun, thinnish, threadlike, vague, velutinous,
     velvety, wasp-waisted, watered, watered-down, watery, weak,
     willowy, wispy