ruff

[ruhf]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ruff ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a neckpiece or collar of lace, lawn, or the like, gathered or drawn into deep, full, regular folds, worn in the 16th and 17th centuries.

something resembling such a piece in form or position.

a collar, or set of lengthened or specially marked hairs or feathers, on the neck of an animal.

Ornithology. a species of European and Asian sandpiper, Philomachus pugnax, the male of which has a large erectile ruff of feathers during the breeding season.Compare reeve³.

Alaska and Northern Canada. a fringe of fur around the edge of a parka hood or along the edges of a jacket.

verb (used with object)

tease(def 3).

Origin of ruff

First recorded in 1515–25; perhaps back formation from ruffle¹

Related formsruff·like, adjective

Can be confusedrough ruff

ruff

[ruhf]Cards.

noun

an act or instance of trumping when one cannot follow suit.

an old game of cards, resembling whist.

verb (used with or without object)

to trump when unable to follow suit.

Origin of ruff

1580–90; probably < French ro(u)ffle; cognate with Italian ronfa a card game, probably < German Trumpf trump¹

ruff

[ruhf]

noun

a small European freshwater fish, Acerina cernua, of the perch family.

Origin of ruff

1400–50; Middle English ruf, roffe; perhaps special use of rough

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for ruff

choker, wig, hairstyle, grass, fur, haircut, fiber, wool, strand, eyebrow, mane, group, shock, collection, cluster, knot, bunch, cowlick, topknot, feathers

Examples from the Web for ruff

Historical Examples of ruff

Who would wear for every sigh Blood's red flower upon his ruff?
Enamels and Cameos and other Poems
Thophile Gautier
He was sitting in uniform on the other side of the fire, reading Ruff's Guide.
Punch or the London Charivari, Vol. 147, December 23, 1914
Various
Ruff with left alone, especially with your partner's make or adoption.
The Laws of Euchre
H. C. Leeds
The ruff, Machetes pugnax, was believed by Montague to be polygamous.
More Letters of Charles Darwin Volume II
Charles Darwin
Miss Ruff saw how Lady Longspade passed on, but she was nothing disconcerted.
The Bertrams
Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for ruff

ruff

noun

a circular pleated, gathered, or fluted collar of lawn, muslin, etc, often starched or wired, worn by both men and women in the 16th and 17th centuries

zoology a natural growth of long or coloured hair or feathers around the necks of certain animals or birds

an Old World shore bird, Philomachus pugnax, the male of which has a large erectile ruff of feathers in the breeding season: family Scolopacidae (sandpipers, etc), order Charadriiformes
the male of this birdCompare reeve 3

Derived Formsrufflike, adjective

Word Origin for ruff

C16: back formation from ruffle 1

ruff

noun cards

another word for trump 1

an old card game similar to whist

verb

cards another word for trump 1 (def. 4)

Word Origin for ruff

C16: from Old French roffle; perhaps changed from Italian trionfa trump 1

ruff

noun

another name for roughie 1

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

Word Origin and History for ruff

kind of large collar, stiffly starched, especially common in the seventeenth century, 1520s, originally in reference to sleeves (of collars, from 1550s), probably a shortened form of ruffle.

Card-playing sense is a separate word, from a former game of that name (1580s), from Middle French roffle, earlier romfle (early 15c.), from Italian ronfa, perhaps a corruption of trionfo "triumph" (from French; cf. trump). The game was in vogue c.1590-1630.

in cards, 1760, from ruff (n.). Related: Ruffed; ruffing.