cuff

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   The end part of a sleeve, around the wrist.

   He rolled up his shirt cuffs before washing the dishes.

2. 2
   verb

   To put handcuffs on someone.

   The officer cuffed the suspect and led him to the car.

3. 3
   verb

   To hit someone lightly with an open hand, usually on the head.

   She playfully cuffed him on the ear for his joke.

1520, “to hit”, apparently of North Germanic origin, from Norwegian kuffa (“to push, shove”) or Swedish kuffa (“to knock, thrust, strike”), from the Proto-Germanic base *skuf- (skuƀ), from Proto-Indo-European *skewbʰ-, see also Lithuanian skùbti (“to hurry”), Polish skubać (“to pluck”), Albanian humb (“to lose”). Germanic cognates include Low German kuffen (“to box the ears”), German kuffen (“to thrash”). More at scuff, shove, scuffle.

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