Past tense of flock: to gather or move together in a large group, or to cover a surface with short fibers to create a soft texture.
From Old English 'flocc' meaning a group or crowd, possibly from Old Norse 'flokk.' The textile sense (adding flock fibers) emerged later as the technology developed.
One word describes both social behavior and industrial texturing—birds flock together AND manufacturers flock fabrics! The textile sense is fascinating because flock wallpaper and velvet-like surfaces are created by electrostatically spraying tiny fibers.
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