tuft

In 2001, there were only 62 mature Iberian lynx — medium-sized, mottled brown cats with characteristic pointed ears and a pair of beard-like tufts of facial hair — on the Iberian Peninsula.

That record is part of what has made this 70-year-old professor, with his formidable intellect, unruly tufts of white hair and infectious enthusiasm, an unlikely media star.

Five missiles hit the facility that day, and workers were still clearing away rubble on Tuesday as snow-like tufts of poplar cotton fell through a hole in the roof.

The textiles are the finest of this period found in Europe, with details such as "pile tufts" that would have given garments a soft, almost velvety feel, and "tubular selvedge" for neat seams and hems.

Pretty soon, you have ugly tufts of torn weed cloth all through the garden in addition to a bunch of weeds.