woolgathering

noun

wool·​gath·​er·​ing ˈwu̇l-ˌga-t͟h(ə-)riŋ 

-ˌge-t͟h(ə-)riŋ

: indulgence in idle daydreaming

Did you know?

Woolgathering once literally referred to the act of gathering loose tufts of wool that had gotten caught on bushes and fences as sheep passed by. As you might imagine, woolgathering was not the most profitable of enterprises; its practitioners must have seemed to wander aimlessly, gaining little for their efforts. In the mid-16th century, woolgathering began to appear in figurative phrases such as "my wits went a woolgathering"—in other words, "my mind went wandering aimlessly." From there, it wasn't long before the word woolgathering came to suggest foolish or purposeless mind-wandering.

Synonyms

• daydreaming
• reverie
• revery
• study
• trance

Examples of woolgathering in a Sentence

my woolgathering was abruptly interrupted by a question from the flight attendant

Recent Examples on the Web

Today, woolgathering sounds harmless – one wanders contentedly among the hedgerows. —Melissa Mohr, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 July 2022

All this woolgathering about AGAD has inspired me to fire up the Idea Oven again for old time’s sake. —Eric Zorn, chicagotribune.com, 30 Apr. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1553, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

woolgathering

noun

wool·​gath·​er·​ing ˈwu̇l-ˌgat͟h-(ə-)riŋ 

: the act of daydreaming