snuff

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   inhale audibly through the nose

   Snuff coke.

2. 2
   noun

   Finely ground or pulverized tobacco (or other plant derivative) intended for use by being sniffed or snorted into the nose.

   The native of some South American tribes use this drug as an aphrodisiac in the form of a snuff called cohoba.

3. 3
   noun

   Fine-ground or minced tobacco, dry or moistened, intended for use by placing a pinch behind the lip or beneath the tongue.

   Dry snuffs are often adulterated with quicklime, and moist snuffs, as rappee, with ammonia, hellebore, pearl-ash, etc.

4. 4
   verb

   To inhale through the nose.

   He snuffs the wind, his heels the sand excite.

Late Middle English, from Middle Dutch snuffen (“to snuff, sniff, snuffle”). Related to Dutch snuiven (“to sniff”), Middle Low German snûve (“pose, head-cold”), German Schnupfen (“head-cold”). The noun is probably from Dutch snuf (“snuff”), an abbreviation of snuftabak, snuiftabak (“snuff”). Related to sniff (compare Dutch snuffen (“snuff”), German schnupf (“snuff”), French schnouff (“junk”)).

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