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tuft

 - 5 dictionary results

tuft

  [tuhft] ,
Use tuft in a Sentence
–noun
1. a bunch or cluster of small, usually soft and flexible parts, as feathers or hairs, attached or fixed closely together at the base and loose at the upper ends.
2. a cluster of short, fluffy threads, used to decorate cloth, as for a bedspread, robe, bath mat, or window curtain.
3. a cluster of cut threads, used as a decorative finish attached to the tying or holding threads of mattresses, quilts, upholstery, etc.
4. a covered or finished button designed for similar use.
5. a cluster of short-stalked flowers, leaves, etc., growing from a common point.
6. a small clump of bushes, trees, etc.
7. a gold tassel on the cap formerly worn at English universities by titled undergraduates.
8. a titled undergraduate at an English university.
–verb (used with object)
9. to furnish or decorate with a tuft or tufts.
10. to arrange in a tuft or tufts.
11. Upholstery. to draw together (a cushion or the like) by passing a thread through at regular intervals, the depressions thus produced being usually ornamented with tufts or buttons.
–verb (used without object)
12. to form into or grow in a tuft or tufts.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME, var. of toft(e) < MF tofe, toffe < ?; E parasitic t as in graft 1

Related forms:
tufter, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To tuft
tuft   (tŭft)   
n.  

  1. A short cluster of elongated strands, as of yarn, hair, or grass, attached at the base or growing close together.

  2. A dense clump, especially of trees or bushes.

v.   tuft·ed, tuft·ing, tufts

v.   tr.

  1. To furnish or ornament with tufts or a tuft.

  2. To pass threads through the layers of (a quilt, mattress, or upholstery), securing the thread ends with a knot or button.

v.   intr.

  1. To separate or form into tufts.

  2. To grow in a tuft.


[Middle English, probably alteration of Old French tofe, from Late Latin tufa, helmet crest, or of Germanic origin.]
tuft'er n., tuft'y adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

tuft 
c.1386, perhaps from O.Fr. touffe "tuft of hair," either from L.L. tufa "a kind of crest on a helmet" (also found in Late Gk. toupha), or from a Gmc. source (cf. O.H.G. zopf, O.N. toppr "tuft, summit," see top (1)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: tuft
Pronunciation: 't&ft
Function: noun
1 : a small cluster of elongated flexible outgrowths or parts attached or close together atthe base and free at the opposite ends; especially : a small bunch of hairs on the body
2 : a branching anatomical structure that resembles a tuft
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
TUFT
transuterine fallopian transfer
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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