Fleece is the thick woolly coat of a sheep or similar animal. It also refers to a soft, warm fabric that copies this texture and is used for jackets and blankets.
“Fleece” comes from Old English “flēos,” meaning “wool or sheep’s coat,” from a Germanic root. It originally described the whole coat taken from a sheep at shearing.
The same word “fleece” can also be a verb meaning “to cheat someone out of money,” as if you stripped off their protective coat. Language turns a physical act—removing wool—into a metaphor for financial harm.
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