Adjacent Words

Chaff definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CHAFF, n.
1. The husk, or dry calyx of corn, and grasses. In common language, the word is applied to the husks when separated from the corn by thrashing, riddling or winnowing. The word is sometimes used rather improperly to denote straw cut small for the food of cattle.
2. Refuse; worthless matter; especially that which is light, and apt to be driven by the wind. In scripture, false doctrines, fruitless designs, hypocrites and ungodly men are compared to chaff. Psa
1:4; Jer
23:28; Isa
33:11; Mat
3:12.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds [syn: chaff, husk, shuck, stalk, straw, stubble]
2: foil in thin strips; ejected into the air as a radar countermeasure v
1: be silly or tease one another; "After we relaxed, we just kidded around" [syn: kid, chaff, jolly, josh, banter]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English chaf, from Old English ceaf; akin to Old High German cheva husk Date: before 12th century 1. the seed coverings and other debris separated from the seed in threshing grain 2. something comparatively worthless 3. the scales borne on the receptacle among the florets in the heads of many composite plants 4. material (as strips of foil or clusters of fine wires) ejected into the air for reflecting radar waves (as for confusing an enemy's radar detection) • chaffy adjective II. noun Etymology: probably from ¹chaff Date: 1821 light jesting talk ; banter III. verb Date: 1827 transitive verb to tease good-naturedly intransitive verb jest, banter

U.S. Military Dictionary

Radar confusion reflectors, consisting of thin, narrow metallic strips of various lengths and frequency responses, which are used to reflect echoes for confusion purposes. Causes enemy radar guided missiles to lock on to it instead of the real aircraft, ship, or other platform. See also deception; rope.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 the husks of corn or other seed separated by winnowing or threshing. 2 chopped hay and straw used as fodder. 3 light-hearted joking; banter. 4 worthless things; rubbish. 5 strips of metal foil released in the atmosphere to obstruct radar detection. --v. 1 tr. & intr. tease; banter. 2 tr. chop (straw etc.). Phrases and idioms: chaff-cutter a machine for chopping fodder. separate the wheat from the chaff distinguish good from bad. Derivatives: chaffy adj. Etymology: OE ceaf, cæf prob. f. Gmc: sense 3 of n. & 1 of v. perh. f. CHAFE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Chaff Chaff, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Chaffed; p. pr. & vb. n. Chaffing.] To use light, idle language by way of fun or ridicule; to banter.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Chaff Chaff, v. t. To make fun of; to turn into ridicule by addressing in ironical or bantering language; to quiz. Morgan saw that his master was chaffing him. --Thackeray. A dozen honest fellows . . . chaffed each other about their sweethearts. --C. Kingsley.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Chaff Chaff, n. [AC. ceaf; akin to D. kaf, G. kaff.] 1. The glumes or husks of grains and grasses separated from the seed by threshing and winnowing, etc. So take the corn and leave the chaff behind. --Dryden. Old birds are not caught with caff. --Old Proverb. 2. Anything of a comparatively light and worthless character; the refuse part of anything. The chaff and ruin of the times. --Shak. 3. Straw or hay cut up fine for the food of cattle. By adding chaff to his corn, the horse must take more time to eat it. In this way chaff is very useful. --Ywatt. 4. Light jesting talk; banter; raillery. 5. (Bot.) The scales or bracts on the receptacle, which subtend each flower in the heads of many Composit[ae], as the sunflower. --Gray. Chaff cutter, a machine for cutting, up straw, etc., into ``chaff'' for the use of cattle.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. Chaff is the outer part of grain such as wheat. It is removed before the grain is used as food. 2. If you separate the wheat from the chaff or sort the wheat from the chaff, you decide which people or things in a group are good or important and which are not. It isn't always easy to separate the wheat from the chaff. PHRASE: V inflects

Easton's Bible Dictionary

the refuse of winnowed corn. It was usually burned (Ex. 15:7; Isa. 5:24; Matt. 3:12). This word sometimes, however, means dried grass or hay (Isa. 5:24; 33:11). Chaff is used as a figure of abortive wickedness (Ps. 1:4; Matt. 3:12). False doctrines are also called chaff (Jer. 23:28), or more correctly rendered "chopped straw." The destruction of the wicked, and their powerlessness, are likened to the carrying away of chaff by the wind (Isa. 17:13; Hos. 13:3; Zeph. 2:2).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

chaf: Four different words have been translated "chaff" in the Old Testament:

(1) mots, is found in Job 21:18; Ps 1:4; 35:5; Isa 17:13; 29:5; 41:15; Ho 13:3; Ze 2:2.

(2) chashash, occurs in two verses (Isa 5:24; 33:11). Compare "chashish," an Arabic word which, as commonly used, denotes grass either standing or cut, green or dry, although, strictly speaking, dry or cut grass alone. In the Revised Version (British and American) Isa 5:24 the translation is "dry grass."

(3) tebhen, is translated "chaff" in the King James Version (Jer 23:28). The same word is rendered "straw" in the Revised Version (British and American) (compare Arabic tibn).

(4) 'ur, a Chaldaic word, occurs in Da 2:35.

In the New Testament achuron, is found in Mt 3:12 and Lu 3:17.

In the process of winnowing, as it has been carried on in the East for thousands of years, the grain is tossed into the air so that the wind may cause a separation of chaff and straw. The light husks from the wheat and fine particles of straw are dispersed by the wind in the form of a fine dust; the heavier straw which has been broken into short pieces by the threshing process falls near at hand on the edge of the threshing-floor, while the grain falls back upon the pile. In Syria and Palestine, that which falls near at hand as cut straw is called tibn. This word occurs in the Arabic translation of Mt 3:12 and Lu 3:17. This straw is ordinarily saved and fed as "roughage" to the animals. It could easily be gathered and burned, as indicated in the above-mentioned verses, while the chaff is blown away beyond recovery, a strong figure to depict complete annihilation (Job 21:18; Isa 29:5; 41:16; Ho 13:3, Da 2:35).

See AGRICULTURE; STRAW; WINNOWING.

JAMES A. Patch

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Husks, hulls, glumes. 2. Refuse, worthless matter. II. v. a. Ridicule, mock, scoff, deride, jeer, flout, make fun of, poke fun at (colloq.).

Moby Thesaurus

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