ruff
Pronunciation: /ɹʌf/
The English word “ruff” has 20 meanings listed here.
noun
- A circular frill or ruffle on a garment, especially a starched, fluted frill at the neck in Elizabethan and Jacobean England (1560s–1620s).
- Anything formed with plaits or flutings like a frill.
- 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).
- A set of lengthened or otherwise modified feathers on or around the neck of a bird.
- A collar of lengthened or distinctively coloured fur on or around the neck of an animal.
- A collar on a shaft or other piece to prevent endwise motion.
- An exhibition of haughtiness or pride.
- Tumultuous or wanton conduct or procedure.
- A fish of species Arripis georgianus, found in cool waters off the southern coast of Australia
- A bottom-dwelling carnivorous fish of the family Sparidae found in temperate and tropical waters; a porgy or sea bream.
- An instance of ruffing, or an opportunity to ruff, when unable to follow suit.
- A game similar to whist and its predecessor.
verb
- To shape (fabric, etc.) into a ruff; to adorn (a garment, etc.) with a ruff.
- Of a falcon, hawk, etc.: to hit (the prey) without fixing or grabbing hold of it.
- To ruffle; to disorder.
- Of a bird: to ruffle its feathers.
- To boast, to brag.
- To speak in a loud and domineering manner; to bluster, to swagger.
- 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).
- 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.