Where does “quiff” come from?

quiff (English) comes from English whiff, from Old English wef, from Middle English weven, from Old English wefan, from Proto-West Germanic weban, from Proto-Germanic webaną, from Proto-Indo-European webʰ- — to weave, braid.

quiff (English): A puff or whiff, especially of tobacco smoke; A...

Definitions

  1. A puff or whiff, especially of tobacco smoke; A...

Ancestry of “quiff”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwhiffA waft; a brief, gentle breeze; a light gust of...
2Old Englishwefweb
3Middle EnglishwevenTo weave; to perform or do some weaving; To...
4Old Englishwefanto weave
5Proto-West Germanicwebanto weave
6Proto-Germanicwebanąto weave
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwebʰ-to weave, braid

Words derived from “quiff”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European webʰ- →
quiff — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer