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tufts' - 2 dictionary results
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tuft

  [tuhft] ,
Use tufts' 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 undergraduateat 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 tufts'
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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