Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “puff” come from?

Puff comes from Middle English puff, from Old English pyf, of unknown origin.

puff (English): A sharp exhalation of a small amount of breath...

Definitions

  1. A sharp exhalation of a small amount of breath...

Ancestry of “puff”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishpuff—
2Old Englishpyfa blast of wind, puff

Words derived from “puff”

  • puffed
  • puffing
  • puffy
  • puffer
  • puffin
  • puffery
  • puffiness
  • pouf
  • puffball
  • pufferfish
  • puffeth
  • puffa
  • puffily
  • poufed
  • Hufflepuff
  • puffingly
  • puffling
  • puffbird
  • unpuffed
  • pufferbelly
  • windpuff
  • puffable
  • puffinry
  • puffless
Every word from Old English pyf →