Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bluff” come from?

Bluff comes from Dutch bluffen and Middle Dutch bluffen, meaning to boast or talk big.

bluff (English): An act of bluffing; a false expression of the...

Definitions

  1. An act of bluffing; a false expression of the...

Ancestry of “bluff”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchbluffento bluff
2Middle Dutchbluffento make something swell; to bluff

Words derived from “bluff”

  • bluffer
  • bluffly
  • bluffness
  • bluffy
  • blufftop
  • outbluff
  • counterbluff
  • blufflike
  • bluffable
  • semi-bluff
  • rebluff
  • bluffare
  • bluffa
  • bluffato
  • блеф
  • bluff
  • Bluff
  • bluffen
  • bluffa
  • bluffare
  • bluff
  • blef
  • блеф
  • blöff
Every word from Middle Dutch bluffen →