PUFF


Meaning of PUFF in English

I. ˈpəf verb

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English pyffan, of imitative origin

Date: before 12th century

intransitive verb

1.

a.

(1) : to blow in short gusts

(2) : to exhale forcibly

b. : to breathe hard : pant

c. : to emit small whiffs or clouds (as of smoke) often as an accompaniment to vigorous action

puff at a pipe

2. : to speak or act in a scornful, conceited, or exaggerated manner

3.

a. : to become distended : swell — usually used with up

b. : to open or appear in or as if in a puff

4. : to form a chromosomal puff

transitive verb

1.

a. : to emit, propel, blow, or expel by or as if by puffs : waft

b. : to draw on (as a cigar, cigarette, or pipe) with intermittent exhalations of smoke

2.

a. : to distend with or as if with air or gas : inflate

b. : to make proud or conceited : elate

c.

(1) : to praise extravagantly and usually with exaggeration

authors puff ing their own work

(2) : advertise

II. noun

Date: 13th century

1.

a. : an act or instance of puffing : whiff

b. : a slight explosive sound accompanying a puff

c. : a perceptible cloud or aura emitted in a puff

d. : draw 1a

2. : a light round hollow pastry

3.

a. : a slight swelling : protuberance

b. : a fluffy mass: as

(1) : pouf 2

(2) : a small fluffy pad for applying cosmetic powder

(3) : a soft loose roll of hair

(4) : a quilted bed covering

4. : a commendatory or promotional notice or review

5. : an enlarged region of a chromosome that is associated with intensely active genes involved in RNA synthesis

• puff·i·ness ˈpə-fē-nəs noun

• puffy ˈpə-fē adjective

III. adjective

Date: 1943

: of, relating to, or designed for promotion or flattery

a puff piece in the paper

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.