Workers or devices that card fibers like wool or cotton, meaning they comb the fibers to align them for spinning into yarn.
From 'card' (to comb fibers), derived from Latin 'carere' meaning 'to card,' or possibly from Greek 'kardos.' The profession of carding dates back to medieval textile production and remains essential in fabric manufacturing.
Before the industrial revolution, carders were skilled craftspeople—they hand-combed wool and cotton for hours, and the quality of their work directly affected the strength and beauty of the final cloth. Now machines do this, but the profession name preserved medieval craft knowledge.
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