chaff
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chaff
- /t͡ʃæf/ UK
- /t͡ʃɑːf/ UK
- /t͡ʃæf/ US
Rhymes with -æf
Where it comes from
From Middle English chaf, from Old English ċeaf, from Proto-West Germanic *kaf. Cognate with Scots caff, Saterland Frisian Sääf, West Frisian tsjêf, Dutch kaf, German Low German Kaff, regional German Kaff.
noun chaffs
- The inedible parts of a grain-producing plant. To separate out the chaff, early cultures tossed baskets of grain into the air and let the wind blow away the lighter chaff.
- Straw or hay cut up fine for the food of cattle. By adding chaff to his corn, the horse must take more time to eat it, and time is given for the commencement of digestion, before fermentation can occur. In this way chaff is very useful, especially after long fasts.
- Any excess or unwanted material, resource, or person; anything worthless. the chaff and ruin of the times
- Light jesting talk; banter; raillery. As for Huxter, perfectly at good-humour with himself, and the world, it never entered his mind that he could be disagreeable to anybody; and the little dispute, or “chaff,” as he styled it, of Vauxhall, was a trifle which he did not in the least regard.
-
Loose material, e.g. small strips of aluminum foil dropped from aircraft, intended to interfere with radar detection.
Similar: window
verb chaffs · chaffing · chaffed
- To use light, idle language by way of fun or ridicule; to banter.
-
To make fun of; to turn into ridicule by addressing in ironical or bantering language.
We were talking about it at mess, yesterday, and chaffing Derby Oaks—until he was as mad as a hatter.
Similar: quiz
- To cut up (straw or hay) for use as cattle feed.
Translations
Every language
noun inedible parts of grain plant
| Español | paja, barcia, bagazo, tamo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 왕겨 wanggyeo |
| 日本語 | 籾殻 momigara, もみがら |
| 中文 | 秕糠 bǐkāng, 穀殼 /谷壳 gǔké, 穀糠 /谷糠 gǔkāng, 糠 kāng |
| Kiswahili | wishwa |
| Português | moinha, palha |
| Français | balle, bale |
| Deutsch | Spreu, Kaff, Spelze |
| Italiano | pula, crusca |
| Română | pleavă |
| Русский | мяки́на mjakína, пле́вел plével, се́чка séčka, поло́ва polóva |
| Tiếng Việt | trấu |
| العربية | هَشِيم hašīm |
| עברית | מוץ mótz |
noun straw or hay cut up for cattle food
| Español | pienso |
|---|
noun loose material dropped from aircraft to interfere with radar
| Deutsch | Düppel |
|---|
verb to use idle language to ridicule
| 日本語 | からかう karakau |
|---|
Talk about this word "chaff." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/chaff. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. chaff. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/chaff "chaff." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/chaff.Cite this
@misc{chaff_2026,
title = {chaff},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/chaff},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
