Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “tuft” come from?

tuft (Middle English) comes from Old French touffe, from Proto-Germanic tuppaz, from Proto-Indo-European dumb- — tail, rod, staff, pole, penis; tail, rod, staff,...

Ancestry of “tuft”, step by step

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

Words derived from “tuft”

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