cuff

cuff · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*kupjō“cap”
2. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*kuppju
3. Frankish · derived from*kuf(f)ja“headdress”
4. Medieval Latin · derived fromcofia
5. Old English · inherited fromcuffie“hood, cap”
6. Middle English · inherited fromcuffe
7. English todaycuff

From Middle English cuffe, coffe (“glove, mitten”), of obscure origin. Perhaps from Old English cuffie (“hood, cap”), from Medieval Latin cofia, cofea, cuffa, cuphia (“helmet, headdress, hood, cap”), from Frankish *kuf(f)ja (“headdress”), from Proto-West Germanic *kuppju, from Proto-Germanic *kupjō (“cap”). Cognate with Middle High German kupfe (“cap”).

cuff · noun, verb²

Clipping of handcuff.

cuff · verb, noun³

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*skewbʰ-
2. Swedish · derived fromkuffa“to knock, thrust, strike”
3. Norwegian · derived fromkuffa“to push, shove”
4. English todaycuff

1520, “to hit”, apparently of North Germanic origin, from Norwegian kuffa (“to push, shove”) or Swedish kuffa (“to knock, thrust, strike”), from the Proto-Germanic base *skuf- (skuƀ), from Proto-Indo-European *skewbʰ-, see also Lithuanian skùbti (“to hurry”), Polish skubać (“to pluck”), Albanian humb (“to lose”). Germanic cognates include Low German kuffen (“to box the ears”), German kuffen (“to thrash”). More at scuff, shove, scuffle.

Cuff · proper noun⁴

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*ḱóymos“village, home”
2. Proto-Celtic · derived from*koymo-“nice, dear”
3. Middle English · derived fromcuffe“glove”
4. English todayCuff

Various etymologies: * As an English surname, from Middle English cuffe (“glove”); see cuff. * As an Irish surname, from mac duibh (“son of the dark one”), see Duff. * As a Cornish surname, from cuf (“kind, dear”), from Proto-Celtic *koymo- (“nice, dear”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóymos (“village, home”); see home.

Words from the same roots