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.
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.
00:10
Tuft
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
| to bark; yelp. |
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
verb (used without object)
12.
to form into or grow in a tuft or tufts.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English, variant of toft(e) < Middle French tofe, toffe < ?; E parasitic t as in graft1
1350–1400; Middle English, variant of toft(e) < Middle French tofe, toffe < ?; E parasitic t as in graft1
Related forms
tuft·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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|
Link To tuft
Collins
World English Dictionary
tuft (tʌft) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a bunch of feathers, grass, hair, etc, held together at the base |
| 2. | a cluster of threads drawn tightly through upholstery, a mattress, a quilt, etc, to secure and strengthen the padding |
| 3. | a small clump of trees or bushes |
| 4. | (formerly) a gold tassel on the cap worn by titled undergraduates at English universities |
| 5. | a person entitled to wear such a tassel |
| —vb | |
| 6. | (tr) to provide or decorate with a tuft or tufts |
| 7. | to form or be formed into tufts |
| 8. | to secure and strengthen (a mattress, quilt, etc) with tufts |
| [C14: perhaps from Old French tufe, of Germanic origin; compare | |
| 'tufter | |
| —n | |
| 'tufty | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
tuft
late 14c., 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, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
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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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Example sentences from the web
The underparts are generally lighter and the tail tuft is black.
Nearby Words
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