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ruff

Pronunciation: /ɹʌf/

The English word “ruff” has 20 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A circular frill or ruffle on a garment, especially a starched, fluted frill at the neck in Elizabethan and Jacobean England (1560s–1620s).
  2. Anything formed with plaits or flutings like a frill.
  3. A gregarious, medium-sized wading bird of species Calidris pugnax (syn. Philomachus pugnax), of Eurasia; specifically, a male of the species which develops a distinctive ruff of feathers and ear tufts during mating season (the female is called a reeve).
  4. A set of lengthened or otherwise modified feathers on or around the neck of a bird.
  5. A collar of lengthened or distinctively coloured fur on or around the neck of an animal.
  6. A collar on a shaft or other piece to prevent endwise motion.
  7. An exhibition of haughtiness or pride.
  8. Tumultuous or wanton conduct or procedure.
  9. A fish of species Arripis georgianus, found in cool waters off the southern coast of Australia
  10. A bottom-dwelling carnivorous fish of the family Sparidae found in temperate and tropical waters; a porgy or sea bream.
  11. An instance of ruffing, or an opportunity to ruff, when unable to follow suit.
  12. A game similar to whist and its predecessor.

verb

  1. To shape (fabric, etc.) into a ruff; to adorn (a garment, etc.) with a ruff.
  2. Of a falcon, hawk, etc.: to hit (the prey) without fixing or grabbing hold of it.
  3. To ruffle; to disorder.
  4. Of a bird: to ruffle its feathers.
  5. To boast, to brag.
  6. To speak in a loud and domineering manner; to bluster, to swagger.
  7. To play a trump card to a trick when unable to follow suit (that is, when unable to play a card of the same suit as the previous or leading card).
  8. Especially in the form ruff out: to defeat (a card, etc.) by ruffing, thus establishing the master card in the suit led.

Etymology

Clipping of ruffle, or possibly from rough.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.