undercoat

1 seal consisting of a coating of a tar or rubberlike material on the underside of a motor vehicle to retard corrosion [syn: underseal]

2 the first or preliminary coat of paint or size applied to a surface [syn: flat coat, ground, primer, priming, primer coat, priming coat]

3 thick soft fur lying beneath the longer and coarser guard hair [syn: underfur] v : cover with a primer; apply a primer to [syn: prime, ground]

English

Noun

1. A layer of short hairs underneath the longer ones of an animal's fur
2. A coat of paint or other material applied onto a surface before that of a topcoat; a coloured primer

Down hairs, also called the ground hairs, are the very fine, fluffy hairs closest to the skin on some mammals. The hairs are short and crimped, which makes them highly efficient for trapping air and insulating the animal. In the hobby of animal fancy, the down hair is collectively called the undercoat and may be important in judging the animal, particularly at conformation dog shows and cat shows.

See also

• Awn hair
• Coat (animal)
• Coat (dog)
• Fur
• Guard hair

chromogen, coat, coat of paint, coating, color, color filter, color gelatin, colorant, coloring, dead-color, distemper, drier, dye, dyestuff, exterior paint, flat coat, flat wash, floor enamel, ground, interior paint, medium, opaque color, paint, pigment, prime coat, primer, priming, stain, tempera, thinner, tinction, tincture, transparent color, turpentine, turps, undercoating, vehicle, wash, wash coat