Fuller

The word “full” is from the Anglo-Saxon fullian, meaning “to whiten.” To full is to press or scour cloth in a mill. This art is one of great antiquity. Mention is made of “fuller’s soap” (Mal. 3:2), and of “the fuller’s field” (2 Kings 18:17). At his transfiguration our Lord’s rainment is said to have been white “so as no fuller on earth could white them” (Mark 9:3). En-rogel (q.v.), meaning literally “foot-fountain,” has been interpreted as the “fuller’s fountain,” because there the fullers trod the cloth with their feet.

The trade of the fullers, so far as it is mentioned in Scripture, appears to have consisted chiefly in cleansing garments and whitening them. The process of fulling or cleansing clothes consisted in treading or stamping on the garments with the feet or with bats in tubs of water, in which some alkaline substance answering the purpose of soap had been dissolved. The substances used for this purpose which are mentioned in Scripture are natron, (Proverbs 25:20; Jeremiah 2:22) and soap. (Malachi 3:2) Other substances also are mentioned as being employed in cleansing, which, together with alkali, seem to identify the Jewish with the Roman process, as urine and chalk. The process of whitening garments was performed by rubbing into them calk or earth of some kind. Creta cimolia (cimolite) was probably the earth most frequently used. The trade of the fullers, as causing offensive smells, and also as requiring space for drying clothes, appears to have been carried on at Jerusalem outside the city.

FUL'LER. The Hebrew word comes from the verb "to tread," because originally the clothing was trodden upon in tubs of water until the soap which had been dissolved had cleansed it. The fuller did not simply full new cloth, but washed clothing that had been worn. Among the primitive Hebrews washing was done at home by the women. Ex 19:10; Num 19:7. It was obligatory in the case of the leper's clothing. Lev 13:54. But in later times among the Hebrews, as among the Egyptians, as the monuments testify, washing was an especial and important business of the men. 2 Kgs 18:17; Isa 7:3; Isa 36:2; Mark 9:3. Mention is made in the Bible of the various substances used in this business, such as nitre, Prov 26:20; Jer 2:22; soap, probably the juice of some saponaceous plant, Mal 3:2. Chalk was rubbed into clothes for the same purpose. Since the fullers occasioned offensive smells, they carried on their work outside the cities. West of Jerusalem was their field; its removed position and the supply of water from the upper Pool of Gihon rendered the place very fit. See Fullers' Field. En-rogel was the fullers' fountain.

FUL'LER. The Hebrew word comes from the verb "to tread," because originally the clothing was trodden upon in tubs of water until the soap which had been dissolved had cleansed it. The fuller did not simply full new cloth, but washed clothing that had been worn. Among the primitive Hebrews washing was done at home by the women. Ex 19:10; Num 19:7. It was obligatory in the case of the leper's clothing. Lev 13:54. But in later times among the Hebrews, as among the Egyptians, as the monuments testify, washing was an especial and important business of the men. 2 Kgs 18:17; Isa 7:3; Isa 36:2; Mark 9:3. Mention is made in the Bible of the various substances used in this business, such as nitre, Prov 26:20; Jer 2:22; soap, probably the juice of some saponaceous plant, Mal 3:2. Chalk was rubbed into clothes for the same purpose. Since the fullers occasioned offensive smells, they carried on their work outside the cities. West of Jerusalem was their field; its removed position and the supply of water from the upper Pool of Gihon rendered the place very fit. See Fullers' Field. En-rogel was the fullers' fountain.

Part of speech: noun (n.)

One whose occupation is to full cloth. Fuller's earth, a variety of clay, used in scouring and cleansing cloth, to imbibe grease. -- Fuller's herb (Bot.), the soapwort (Saponaria officinalis), formerly used to remove stains from cloth. -- Fuller's thistle or weed (Bot.), the teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) whose burs are used by fullers in dressing cloth. See Teasel.

Part of speech: noun (n.)

A die; a half-round set hammer, used for forming grooves and spreading iron; -- called also a creaser.

Part of speech: verb (v.)

To form a groove or channel in, by a fuller or set hammer; as, to fuller a bayonet.