Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tuft” come from?

Tuft comes from Middle English tufte, from Old French touffe, from Late Latin tufa, from Proto-Germanic þūbaz, a word of uncertain ultimate origin and meaning.

tuft (English): A bunch of feathers, grass or hair, etc., held...

Definitions

  1. A bunch of feathers, grass or hair, etc., held...

Ancestry of “tuft”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtuft—
2Old Frenchtouffetuft
3Proto-Germanictuppaztuft, plait; top, summit
4Proto-Indo-Europeandumb-tail, rod, staff, pole, penis; tail, rod, staff,...

Words derived from “tuft”

  • toff
  • candytuft
  • tufty
  • toffy
  • tufthunter
  • tufthunting
  • tufter
  • tuftily
  • toffish
  • tuftless
  • tuftiness
  • purpletuft
  • toffee-nosed
  • toffishness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dumb- →