fluff

fluff
fluff (n.) "light, feathery stuff," 1790, apparently a variant of floow "wooly substance, down, nap" (1580s), perhaps from Flem. vluwe, from Fr. velu "shaggy, hairy," from L. vellus "fleece," or L. villus "tuft of hair" (see VELVET (Cf. velvet)). OED suggests fluff as "an onomatopoeic modification" of floow, "imitating the action of puffing away some light substance." The verb meaning "to shake into a soft mass" is first attested 1875; meaning "make a mistake" is from 1884, originally in theater slang. Related: Fluffed; fluffing. Slang bit of fluff "young woman" is from 1903. The marshmallow confection Fluff dates to c.1920 in Massachusetts, U.S.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • fluff´i|ly — fluff|y «FLUHF ee», adjective, fluff|i|er, fluff|i|est. 1. soft and light like fluff: »a fluffy shawl. Whipped cream is fluffy. 2. covered with fluff; filled with fluff; …   Useful english dictionary

  • fluff|y — «FLUHF ee», adjective, fluff|i|er, fluff|i|est. 1. soft and light like fluff: »a fluffy shawl. Whipped cream is fluffy. 2. covered with fluff; filled with fluff; …   Useful english dictionary

  • Fluff — may be:* Fluff, a species in The Hitchhiker s Guide to the Galaxy * Alan Freeman, a radio DJ * Michael Meinhart, a radio DJ from Columbus, Ohio * Marshmallow creme, a food product * Fluff, a character in the Hospital Radio series The Space Gypsy… …   Wikipedia

  • fluff — fluff·er; fluff·i·ly; fluff·i·ness; fluff; fluff·ment; …   English syllables

  • Fluff — Fluff, v. t. & i. To make or become fluffy; to move lightly like fluff. Holmes. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fluff — ► NOUN 1) soft fibres accumulated in small light clumps. 2) the soft fur or feathers of a young mammal or bird. 3) trivial or superficial entertainment or writing. 4) informal a mistake. ► VERB 1) (usu. fluff up) make fuller and softer by shaking …   English terms dictionary

  • fluff — [fluf] n. [? blend of FLUE3 + PUFF] 1. soft, light down 2. a loose, soft, downy mass of hair, feathers, cotton, dust, etc. 3. any light or trivial matter or talk 4. Theater Radio TV an error in speaking or reading a line …   English World dictionary

  • Fluff — Fluff, v. t. To make a mistake in the performance of; used mostly of lines in a drama; as, he fluffed the last line of the act. [PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Fluff — Fluff, n. [Cf. 2d {Flue}. [root]84.] 1. Nap or down; flue[2]; soft, downy feathers. [1913 Webster] 2. Hence: Anything light and downy, whose volume consists mostly of air, such as cotton or down. [PJC] 3. Something light and inconsequential;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fluff — s.m.inv. ES ingl. {{wmetafile0}} 1. materiale morbido e spugnoso usato spec. per confezionare pannolini per bambini e assorbenti igienici femminili 2. TS telev. programma curato nella forma e nella presentazione, ma di contenuto basso o… …   Dizionario italiano

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”