gruff

gruff
gruff 1530s, "coarse, coarse-grained," from M.Du. or M.L.G. grof "coarse (in quality), thick, large," of uncertain origin, regarded by some as related to O.E. hreof, O.N. hrjufr "rough, scabby," with Germanic completive prefix ga-. Sense of "rough, surly" recorded by 1690s. Related: Gruffness.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • gruff´i|ly — gruff|y «GRUHF ee», adjective, gruff|i|er, gruff|i|est. gruff. –gruff´i|ly, adverb. –gruff´i|ness, noun …   Useful english dictionary

  • gruff|y — «GRUHF ee», adjective, gruff|i|er, gruff|i|est. gruff. –gruff´i|ly, adverb. –gruff´i|ness, noun …   Useful english dictionary

  • gruff´ly — gruff «gruhf», adjective, verb. –adj. 1. deep and harsh; hoarse: »a gruff voice. SYNONYM(S): guttural. 2. rough, rude, unfriendly, or bad tempered: »a gruff manner. SYNONYM(S): grumpy, brusque, impolite, surly …   Useful english dictionary

  • Gruff — (gr[u^]f), a. [Compar. {Gruffer} (gr[u^]f [ e]r); superl. {Gruffest}.] [D. grof; akin to G. grob, OHG. gerob, grob, Dan. grov, Sw. grof, perh. akin to AS. rc[ o]fan to break, Z. reavc, rupture, g standing for the AS. prefix ge , Goth. ga .] Of a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • gruff — [grʌf] adj [Date: 1400 1500; : Dutch; Origin: grof] speaking in a rough, unfriendly voice ▪ His manner can be rather gruff. ▪ a gruff reply ▪ His voice became gruff. >gruffly adv >gruffness n [U] …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • gruff — [ grʌf ] adjective 1. ) rude and unfriendly: BRUSQUE: Don t let his gruff manner scare you away. 2. ) a gruff voice has a rough low sound ╾ gruff|ly adverb …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Gruff — may refer to:*Gruff, a tone of voice or nature *Gruff s, Servants of The Summer Faire Court in Jim Butchers The Dresden Files series …   Wikipedia

  • gruff — gruff·ly; gruff·ness; gruff; …   English syllables

  • gruff — [adj1] bad tempered, rude abrupt, bearish, blunt, boisterous, boorish, brusque, churlish, crabbed*, crabby*, crude, crusty*, curt, discourteous, dour, fierce, grouchy*, grumpy*, ill natured, impolite, morose, nasty, offhand, rough, saturnine,… …   New thesaurus

  • gruff — index brutal, harsh, severe Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

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