I. ˈstəf noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French estuffes goods, from estuffer to fill in (with rubble), furnish, equip, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German stopfōn to stop up, from Vulgar Latin * stuppare — more at stop
Date: 14th century
1. : materials, supplies, or equipment used in various activities: as
a. obsolete : military baggage
b. : personal property
2. : material to be manufactured, wrought, or used in construction
clear half-inch pine stuff — Emily Holt
3. : a finished textile suitable for clothing ; especially : wool or worsted material
4.
a. : literary or artistic production
b. : writing, discourse, talk, or ideas of little value : trash
5.
a. : an unspecified material substance or aggregate of matter
volcanic rock is curious stuff
b. : something (as a drug or food) consumed or introduced into the body by humans
c. : a matter to be considered
the truth was heady stuff
long-term policy stuff
d. : a group or scattering of miscellaneous objects or articles
pick that stuff up off the floor
also : nonphysical unspecified material
conservation and…all kinds of good stuff — Eric Korn
6.
a. : fundamental material : substance
the stuff of greatness
b. : subject matter
a teacher who knows her stuff
7. : special knowledge or capability
showing their stuff
8.
a. : spin imparted to a thrown or hit ball to make it curve or change course
b. : the movement of a baseball pitch out of its apparent line of flight : the liveliness of a pitch
greatest pitcher of my time…had tremendous stuff — Ted Williams
9. : dunk shot
• stuff·less adjective
II. transitive verb
Date: 15th century
1.
a. : to fill by packing things in : cram
the boy stuff ed his pockets with candy
b. : to fill to satiety : surfeit
stuff ed themselves with turkey
c. : to prepare (meat or vegetables) by filling or lining with a stuffing
d. : to fill (as a cushion) with a soft material
e. : to fill out the skin of (an animal) for mounting
2.
a. : to fill by intellectual effort
stuff ing their heads with facts
b. : to pack full of something immaterial
a book stuff ed with information
3. : to fill or block up (as nasal passages)
4.
a. : to cause to enter or fill : thrust
stuff ed a lot of clothing into a laundry bag
b. : to put (as a ball or puck) into a goal forcefully from close range
5. — used in the imperative to express contempt
if they didn't like it, stuff 'em — Eric Clapton
— often used in the phrases stuff it and get stuffed
6. : to stop (a ballcarrier) abruptly in a football game
stuff ed the runner just short of a first down