Proper noun

Singular Fur

Plural Fur

Fur (plural Fur)

1. One of a Nilo-Saharan people of western Sudan.
2. The language of this people.

Fur is a synonym for hair, used more commonly in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensive body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal pelts which have been processed into leather with the hair still attached. The words fur or furry are also used, more casually, to refer to hair-like growths or formations; particularly when the subject being referred to exhibits a dense coat of fine, soft "hairs".

Animal fur, if layered, rather than grown as a single coat, may consist of short ground hair, long guard hair, and, in some cases, medium awn hair. Mammals with reduced amounts of fur are often called "naked", as in The Naked Ape, naked mole rat, and naked dogs.

The acquisition and use of fur as clothing and/or decoration is considered controversial in some cultures. Animal welfare advocates object to the trapping and killing of wildlife, and the confinement and killing of animals on fur farms. An animal with commercially valuable fur is known within the fur industry as a furbearer. (See fur clothing).