I. ˈtəft noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, modification of Middle French tufe, tofe, toffe, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old Norse toppr tuft, Old High German zopf — more at top
1. : a small cluster of elongated flexible outgrowths or parts attached or close together at the base and free at the opposite ends: as
a.
(1) : a small bunch of hairs on the body
(2) : a small beard on the chin : imperial
b. : a growing bunch of grass, leaves, flowers, or small plants
c. : a bunch of feathers ; specifically : the crest of a bird
d. : a bunch of soft fluffy threads cut off short and used to ornament cloth (as in a bedspread)
2. : a small group (as of trees) : clump , cluster
a tuft of pines — U.S. Geographic Board
3. : mound
the house … was set high on a tuft of land — Yankee
4.
a. : a gold tassel formerly worn by titled undergraduates at Cambridge or Oxford Universities
b. Britain : a titled undergraduate at Cambridge or Oxford
5.
a. : a cluster of loops or cut threads used as a finish for the tying threads of quilts, mattresses, or upholstery
b. : a covered button or leather disk for similar use
6. : a coil of capillaries
7. : one of the projections of extra warp or filling yarns drawn through a fabric or a carpet so as to produce a surface of raised loops or cut pile
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
1.
a. : to provide with a tuft
b. : to weave (a fabric) with tufts
2.
a. : to beat (as a covert) for deer
b. : to rouse (game) by beating
3. : to make (as a mattress or cushioned seat) firm by drawing stitches tightly through the padding at regular intervals and covering each depression on the surface with a tuft
intransitive verb
: to form into tufts : grow into tufts