goffer

[ gof-er ]

/ ˈgɒf ər /

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noun

an ornamental plaiting used for frills and borders, as on women's caps.

verb (used with object)

to flute (a frill, ruffle, etc.), as with a heated iron.

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Also gauf·fer

[gaw-fer, gof-er] /ˈgɔ fər, ˈgɒf ər/ .

Origin of goffer

1700–10; <French gaufre waffle <Middle Dutch wāfelwaffle¹

Words nearby goffer

goethite, Goetz, go far, go-faster stripe, gofer, goffer, goffering, Goffstown, go fish, go fly a kite, go for

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use goffer in a sentence

Dr. Fellowes had the kindness to give me a goffer (a large field-mouse), undoubtedly Diplostoma bulbivorum.
Travels in the Interior of North America, 1832-1834, Part III (the Text Being Chapters XXVIII-XXXIII of the London Edition, 1843, and the Appendix a Combination of the Appendices of the London and German [Coblentz, 1839] Editions)|Maximilian, Prinz von Wied
A new mortification for poor Cinderella, for it was she who had to iron her sisters' fine linen, and goffer their ruffles.
Tales of Passed Times|Charles Perrault
Hence our verb to goffer, to give a cellular appearance to a frill.
The Romance of Words (4th ed.)|Ernest Weekley

British Dictionary definitions for goffer

goffer

gauffer

/ (ˈɡəʊfə) /

verb (tr)

to press pleats into (a frill)

to decorate (the gilt edges of a book) with a repeating pattern

noun

an ornamental frill made by pressing pleats

the decoration formed by goffering books

the iron or tool used in making goffers

Word Origin for goffer

C18: from French gaufrer to impress a pattern, from gaufre, from Middle Low German wāfel; see waffle 1, wafer

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012