I. ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun
( -s )
Etymology: cut off
1. : the action or act of cutting off:
a. : the act of shutting off admission of working fluid to an engine cylinder
b. : cessation : suspension of activity, operation, or established trend
a firm cutoff in wage boosts had to be made somewhere — Time
c. music
(1) : general pause
(2) : a conductor's gesture (as an abrupt sweep of the hand) commanding a sharp cessation of playing
d. : interception by an infielder of a baseball thrown from the outfield to home plate
2.
a. : the new and relatively short channel formed when a stream cuts through the neck of an oxbow
b. : any route that cuts away from a main or accustomed course in order to shorten passage : shortcut , bypass
c. : a channel made to straighten a stream (as for the facilitation of log driving)
3. : a device for cutting off: as
a. : a mechanism for shutting off the admission of a working fluid (as steam) to an engine cylinder — compare valve gear
b. : a device in the mechanism of magazine rifles that when in active use prevents the feeding of cartridges from the magazine into the chamber with the gun then being used as a single-loader
c. : any device for stopping or changing a current (as of grain in a chute or water in a spout)
d. : fire stop
e. : a wall or similar structure to stop or reduce seepage and percolation of water
f. : a device to stop passage of light : hood , shutter
g. : a device for eliminating undesirable sound frequencies
h. or cutoff rule : a horizontal rule or its imprint separating discontinuous printed matter
4. : something that is cut off ; specifically : the crescent-shaped body of water cut off from a channel when a stream cuts through an oxbow
5. : the point, date, or period for a cutoff: as
a. : the point in a cycle of operations of an engine at which a cutoff occurs
b. : a date marking the end of a period or operation (as for the submission of offers or the filing of applications for tax refunds)
c. : a point or date where an accounting period ends and settlement or closing is made
II. adjective
Etymology: partly from cut off; partly from past participle of cut off
1. : that is cut off or serves to cut off
cutoff valve
2. of a shoe vamp : cut off at the line at which the toe cap is stitched on
III. noun
cutoffs plural : trousers (as of blue denim) cut off at the knee or higher
• cutoff adjective