FLOCK  . 1 . (A word found in Old

English and Old Norwegian, from which come the Danish and Swedish words, and not in other Teutonic languages), originally a company of people, now mainly, except in figurative usages, of certain animals when gathered together for feeding or moving from place to place . For birds it is chiefly used of geese; and for other animals' most generally of sheep and goats . It is from the particular application of the word to sheep that flock " is used of the Christian Church in its relation to the " Good Shepherd," and also of a congregation of worshippers in its relation to its spiritual head . 2 . (Probably from the Lat . /loccus, but many Teutonic languages have the same word in various forms), a tuft of wool, cotton or similar substance . The name " flock " is given to a material formed of wool or cotton refuse, or of shreds of old woollen or cotton rags, torn by a machine known as a " devil." This material is used for stuffing mattresses or pillows, and also in upholstery . The name is also applied to a special kind of wall-paper, which has an appearance almost like cloth,, or, in the more expensive kinds, of velvet . It is made by dusting on a specially prepared adhesive surface finely powdered fibres of cotton or silk . The word " flocculent "is used of many substances which have a fleecy or " flock "-like appearance, such as a precipitate of ferric hydrate .