TUFT


Meaning of TUFT in English

I. ˈtəft noun

Etymology: Middle English, modification of Middle French touffe, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German zopf tip — more at top

Date: 14th century

1.

a. : a small cluster of elongated flexible outgrowths attached or close together at the base and free at the opposite ends ; especially : a growing bunch of grasses or close-set plants

b. : a bunch of soft fluffy threads cut off short and used as ornament

2. : clump , cluster

3. : mound

4. : any of the projections of yarns drawn through a fabric or making up a fabric so as to produce a surface of raised loops or cut pile

• tuft·ed ˈtəf-təd adjective

• tufty ˈtəf-tē adjective

II. verb

Date: 1535

transitive verb

1.

a. : to provide or adorn with a tuft

b. : to make (a fabric) of or with tufts

2. : to make (as a mattress) firm by stitching at intervals and sewing on tufts

intransitive verb

: to form into or grow in tufts

• tuft·er noun

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