mid-15c., apparently imitative of exhaling. Extended sense of "bluster with indignation" is attested from 1590s. Huffy "ready to take offense" is from 1670s.
compression To compress data using Huffman coding. Various programs that use such methods have been called "HUFF" or some variant thereof. Opposite: puff. Compare crunch, compress. [Jargon File] (1994-12-23)