Adjacent Words

Ruff definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

RUFF, n.
1. A piece of plaited linen worn by females around the neck.
2. Something puckered or plaited.
3. A small fish, a species of Perca.
4. A bird of the genus Tringa, with a tuft of feathers around the neck of the male, whence the name. The female is called reeve.
5. A state of roughness. Obs.
6. Pride; elevation; as princes in the ruff of all their glory.
7. A particular species of pigeon.
8. At cards, the act of winning the trick by trumping the cards of another suit.
RUFF, v.t.
1. To ruffle; to disorder.
2. To trump any other suit of cards at whist.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an external body part consisting of feathers or hair about the neck of a bird or other animal [syn: frill, ruff]
2: a high tight collar [syn: choker, ruff, ruffle, neck ruff]
3: common Eurasian sandpiper; the male has an erectile neck ruff in breeding season [syn: ruff, Philomachus pugnax]
4: (card games) the act of taking a trick with a trump when unable to follow suit [syn: ruff, trumping] v
1: play a trump [syn: trump, ruff]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun or ruffe Etymology: Middle English ruf Date: 15th century a small freshwater European perch (Acerina cernua) II. noun Etymology: probably back-formation from ruffle Date: 1555 1. a large round collar of pleated muslin or linen worn by men and women of the late 16th and early 17th centuries 2. a fringe or frill of long hairs or feathers growing around or on the neck of an animal 3. a common Eurasian sandpiper (Philomachus pugnax) whose male during the breeding season has a large ruff of erectile feathers on the neck • ruffed adjective III. verb Etymology: Middle French roffler Date: 1598 intransitive verb to take a trick with a trump transitive verb to play a trump on (a card previously led or played) IV. noun Date: circa 1828 the act of trumping

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. 1 a projecting starched frill worn round the neck esp. in the 16th c. 2 a projecting or conspicuously coloured ring of feathers or hair round a bird's or animal's neck. 3 a domestic pigeon like a jacobin. 4 (fem. reeve) a wading bird, Philomachus pugnax, of which the male has a ruff and ear-tufts in the breeding season. Derivatives: rufflike adj. Etymology: perh. f. ruff = ROUGH 2. n. (also ruffe) any of various fish, esp. a perch-like freshwater fish, Gymnocephalus cernua, found in European lakes and rivers. Etymology: ME, prob. f. ROUGH 3. v. & n. --v.intr. & tr. trump at cards. --n. an act of ruffing. Etymology: orig. the name of a card-game: f. OF roffle, rouffle, = It. ronfa (perh. alt. of trionfo TRUMP(1))

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ruff Ruff, n. [F. ronfle; cf. It. ronfa, Pg. rufa, rifa.] (Card Playing) (a) A game similar to whist, and the predecessor of it. --Nares. (b) The act of trumping, especially when one has no card of the suit led.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ruff Ruff, v. i. & t. (Card Playing) To trump.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ruff Ruff, n. [Of uncertain origin: cf. Icel. r?finn rough, uncombed, Pr. ruf rude, rough, Sp. rufo frizzed, crisp, curled, G. raufen to pluck, fight, rupfen to pluck, pull, E. rough. [root]18. Cf. Ruffle to wrinkle.] 1. A muslin or linen collar plaited, crimped, or fluted, worn formerly by both sexes, now only by women and children. Here to-morrow with his best ruff on. --Shak. His gravity is much lessened since the late proclamation came out against ruffs; . . . they were come to that height of excess herein, that twenty shillings were used to be paid for starching of a ruff. --Howell. 2. Something formed with plaits or flutings, like the collar of this name. I reared this flower; . . . Soft on the paper ruff its leaves I spread. --Pope. 3. An exhibition of pride or haughtiness. How many princes . . . in the ruff of all their glory, have been taken down from the head of a conquering army to the wheel of the victor's chariot! --L'Estrange. 4. Wanton or tumultuous procedure or conduct. [Obs.] To ruffle it out in a riotous ruff. --Latimer. 5. (Mil.) A low, vibrating beat of a drum, not so loud as a roll; a ruffle. 6. (Mach.) A collar on a shaft ot other piece to prevent endwise motion. See Illust. of Collar. 7. (Zo["o]l.) A set of lengthened or otherwise modified feathers round, or on, the neck of a bird. 8. (Zo["o]l.) (a) A limicoline bird of Europe and Asia (Pavoncella, or Philommachus, pugnax) allied to the sandpipers. The males during the breeding season have a large ruff of erectile feathers, variable in their colors, on the neck, and yellowish naked tubercles on the face. They are polygamous, and are noted for their pugnacity in the breeding season. The female is called reeve, or rheeve. (b) A variety of the domestic pigeon, having a ruff of its neck.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ruff Ruff, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ruffed; p. pr. & vb. n. Ruffing.] 1. To ruffle; to disorder. --Spenser. 2. (Mil.) To beat with the ruff or ruffle, as a drum. 3. (Hawking) To hit, as the prey, without fixing it.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ruff Ruff, Ruffe Ruffe, n. [OE. ruffe.] (Zo["o]l.) A small freshwater European perch (Acerina vulgaris); -- called also pope, blacktail, and stone, or striped, perch.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ruffle Ruf"fle, n. [See Ruffle, v. t. & i.] 1. That which is ruffled; specifically, a strip of lace, cambric, or other fine cloth, plaited or gathered on one edge or in the middle, and used as a trimming; a frill. 2. A state of being ruffled or disturbed; disturbance; agitation; commotion; as, to put the mind in a ruffle. 3. (Mil.) A low, vibrating beat of a drum, not so loud as a roll; -- called also ruff. --H. L. Scott. 4. (Zo["o]l.) The connected series of large egg capsules, or o["o]thec[ae], of any one of several species of American marine gastropods of the genus Fulgur. See O["o]theca. Ruffle of a boot, the top turned down, and scalloped or plaited. --Halliwell.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Trump Trump, n. [A corruption of triumph, F. triomphe. See Triumph, and cf. Trump a trumpet.] 1. A winning card; one of a particular suit (usually determined by chance for each deal) any card of which takes any card of the other suits. 2. An old game with cards, nearly the same as whist; -- called also ruff. --Decker. 3. A good fellow; an excellent person. [Slang] Alfred is a trump, I think you say. --Thackeray. To put to one's trumps, or To put on one's trumps, to force to the last expedient, or to the utmost exertion. But when kings come so low as to fawn upon philosophy, which before they neither valued nor understood, it is a sign that fails not, they are then put to their last trump. --Milton. Put the housekeeper to her trumps to accommodate them. --W. Irving.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(ruffs) 1. A ruff is a stiff strip of cloth or other material with many small folds in it, which some people wore round their neck in former times. ...an Elizabethan ruff. N-COUNT 2. A ruff is a thick band of feathers or fur round the neck of a bird or animal. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Ruffle.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

An ornament formerly worn by men and women round their necks. Wooden ruff; the pillory.

Moby Thesaurus

ace, barrage, beat, beating, best bower, bower, cards, clubs, crease, crimp, crisp, deck, deuce, diamonds, dog-ear, double, double over, drum, drum music, drumbeat, drumfire, drumming, dummy, enfold, face cards, flounce, flush, flute, flutter, fold, fold over, frill, full house, gather, hand, hearts, infold, interfold, jack, joker, king, knave, lap over, left bower, pack, pair, palpitation, paradiddle, patter, picture cards, pitapat, pitter-patter, plait, plat, playing cards, pleat, plicate, ply, pound, pounding, pulsation, queen, quill, rat-a-tat, rat-tat, rat-tat-tat, rataplan, rattattoo, roll, round, royal flush, rub-a-dub, rubber, ruffle, singleton, spades, spatter, splutter, sputter, staccato, straight, tat-tat, tattoo, throb, throbbing, thrum, thumping, tom-tom, trey, trick, trump, tuck, turn over, twill