[ruff] also ruffe n [ME ruf] (15c): a small freshwater European perch (Acerina cernua)
[2]ruff n [prob. back-formation fr. ruffle] (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
3: a common Eurasian sandpiper (Philomachus pugnax) whose male during the breeding season has a large ruff of erectile feathers on the neck -- ruffed adj [3]ruff vb [MF roffler] vi (1598): to take a trick with a trump ~ vt: to play a trump on (a card previously led or played) [4]ruff n (ca. 1828): the act of trumping