ruff

C2 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ɹəf/ UK /ɹʌf/ See IPA manual

Freq #20592

Meanings

1

noun
common Eurasian sandpiper

The male has an erectile neck ruff in breeding season.
2

noun
A circular frill or ruffle on a garment, especially a starched, fluted frill at the neck in Elizabethan and Jacobean England (1560s–1620s).

You a Captaine? you ſlaue, for what? for tearing a poore Whores Ruffe in a Bawdy-houſe? Hee a Captaine? hang him Rogue, hee liues vpon mouldie ſtew'd-Pruines, and dry'de Cakes.
3

noun
Anything formed with plaits or flutings like a frill.

Fair from its humble bed I rear'd this flow'r; / Suckled, and chear'd, with air, and ſun, and ſhow'r; / Soft on the paper ruff its leaves I ſpread, / Bright with the gilded button tipt its head; […].
4

noun
Senses relating to animals.

A reeve shows her readiness to copulate by crouching in a particular residence. In a crowded lek she selects an individual ruff by turning towards him while still crouching. Some ruffs are thus chosen frequently while others are never selected. Ruff and reeve only copulate after she has crouched and has sometimes nibbled the feathers at the back of the ruff’s head.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

trump

Word family

Derived forms crossruffoverruffruffablerufflessrufflikesea-ruffunderruffunruffable

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

neck ruff
a high close-fitting collar worn around the neck

Noun + noun

Etymology

From Old French roffle, rouffle (earlier romfle, ronfle), or from Italian ronfa (“card game similar to whist”); these words are possibly from Old French triomphe (“a triumph, victory”), Italian trionfo (“triumph; trump card”), from Latin triumphus (“hymn to Bacchus; celebration, triumph”), ultimately from Ancient Greek θρῐ́ᾰμβος (thrĭ́ămbos, “hymn to Dionysius, thriambus”). The verb is derived from the noun. Doublet of trump.

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# ruff

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ɹəf/
**IPA (UK):** /ɹʌf/
**Frequency rank:** 20592

## Meanings
1. common Eurasian sandpiper
2. A circular frill or ruffle on a garment, especially a starched, fluted frill at the neck in Elizabethan and Jacobean England (1560s–1620s).
3. Anything formed with plaits or flutings like a frill.
4. Senses relating to animals.

## Examples
- The male has an erectile neck ruff in breeding season.
- You a Captaine? you ſlaue, for what? for tearing a poore Whores Ruffe in a Bawdy-houſe? Hee a Captaine? hang him Rogue, hee liues vpon mouldie ſtew'd-Pruines, and dry'de Cakes.
- Fair from its humble bed I rear'd this flow'r; / Suckled, and chear'd, with air, and ſun, and ſhow'r; / Soft on the paper ruff its leaves I ſpread, / Bright with the gilded button tipt its head; […].
- A reeve shows her readiness to copulate by crouching in a particular residence. In a crowded lek she selects an individual ruff by turning towards him while still crouching. Some ruffs are thus chosen frequently while others are never selected. Ruff and reeve only copulate after she has crouched and has sometimes nibbled the feathers at the back of the ruff’s head.

## Synonyms
- trump

## Derived Forms
- crossruff
- overruff
- ruffable
- ruffless
- rufflike
- sea-ruff
- underruff
- unruffable

## Etymology
From Old French roffle, rouffle (earlier romfle, ronfle), or from Italian ronfa (“card game similar to whist”); these words are possibly from Old French triomphe (“a triumph, victory”), Italian trionfo (“triumph; trump card”), from Latin triumphus (“hymn to Bacchus; celebration, triumph”), ultimately from Ancient Greek θρῐ́ᾰμβος (thrĭ́ămbos, “hymn to Dionysius, thriambus”). The verb is derived from the noun. Doublet of trump.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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