cuff
English · Thesaurus
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cuff¹
- /kʌf/ US, UK
- /kɐf/ Australia, New Zealand
- /kʊf/ Northern England
Rhymes with -ʌf
Where it comes from
From Middle English cuffe, coffe (“glove, mitten”), of obscure origin. Perhaps from Old English cuffie (“hood, cap”), from Medieval Latin cofia, cofea, cuffa, cuphia (“helmet, headdress, hood, cap”), from Frankish *kuf(f)ja (“headdress”), from Proto-West Germanic *kuppju, from Proto-Germanic *kupjō (“cap”). Cognate with Middle High German kupfe (“cap”).
noun cuffs
- Glove; mitten
- The end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist.
- The end of a pants leg when folded up.
- A surgical procedure in which parts of the body that were not previously connected are stitched together.
verb cuffs · cuffing · cuffed
- To furnish with cuffs.
cuff²
- /kʌf/ US, UK
- /kɐf/ Australia, New Zealand
- /kʊf/ Northern England
Rhymes with -ʌf
Where it comes from
Clipping of handcuff.
noun cuffs
- A handcuff.
verb cuffs · cuffing · cuffed
- To handcuff.
- To enter into a committed romantic relationship with (someone). cuffing season
cuff³
- /kʌf/ US, UK
- /kɐf/ Australia, New Zealand
- /kʊf/ Northern England
Rhymes with -ʌf
Where it comes from
1520, “to hit”, apparently of North Germanic origin, from Norwegian kuffa (“to push, shove”) or Swedish kuffa (“to knock, thrust, strike”), from the Proto-Germanic base *skuf- (skuƀ), from Proto-Indo-European *skewbʰ-, see also Lithuanian skùbti (“to hurry”), Polish skubać (“to pluck”), Albanian humb (“to lose”).
Germanic cognates include Low German kuffen (“to box the ears”), German kuffen (“to thrash”). More at scuff, shove, scuffle.
verb cuffs · cuffing · cuffed
- To hit, as a reproach, particularly with the open palm to the head; to slap. I swear I'll cuff you, if you strike again.
- To fight; to scuffle; to box. While the peers cuff to make the rabble sport.
- To buffet. cuffed by the gale
noun cuffs
- A blow, especially with the open hand; a box; a slap. The Sarazin sore daunted with the buffe / Snatcheth his sword, and fiercely to him flies; / Who well it wards, and quyteth cuff with cuff:
cuff⁴
- /kʌf/ US, UK
- /kɐf/ Australia, New Zealand
- /kʊf/ Northern England
Rhymes with -ʌf
noun cuffs
- The scruff of the neck.
Cuff⁵
Where it comes from
Various etymologies:
* As an English surname, from Middle English cuffe (“glove”); see cuff.
* As an Irish surname, from mac duibh (“son of the dark one”), see Duff.
* As a Cornish surname, from cuf (“kind, dear”), from Proto-Celtic *koymo- (“nice, dear”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóymos (“village, home”); see home.
proper noun Cuffs · Cuffe
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: handcuffs, manacle, handcuff, handlock, whomp, turnup, anklet, bracelet, button, sleeve, slap, hose, blow, inflate, deflate, attachable
Translations
Every language
noun the end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist
| Español | puño, ruedo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 수구 sugu, 커프스 keopeuseu |
| 日本語 | 袖口 sodeguchi, カフ kafu |
| 中文 | 袖口 xiùkǒu |
| Português | punho |
| Français | manchette |
| Deutsch | Manschette, Bündchen, Ärmelbündchen, Hemdmanschette, Luftmanschette |
| Italiano | polsino |
| Ελληνικά | μανσέτα manséta |
| Română | manșetă |
| Русский | манже́та manžéta, обшла́г obšlág |
| עברית | חֵפֶת hepet |
noun the end of a pants leg, folded up
| Español | bajo, vuelta, bastilla |
|---|---|
| Português | barra |
| Français | revers |
| Deutsch | Aufschlag, Umschlag, Ärmelaufschlag, Hosenaufschlag |
| Italiano | orlo |
| Ελληνικά | ρεβέρ revér |
| Română | manșetă, margine |
| Русский | отворо́т otvorót |
verb To hit, as a reproach
| Español | abofetear |
|---|---|
| Français | gifler, souffleter |
| Deutsch | ohrfeigen, einen Klaps geben, abfotzen |
Talk about this word "cuff." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cuff. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. cuff. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cuff "cuff." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cuff.Cite this
@misc{cuff_2026,
title = {cuff},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cuff},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
