Etymology

luff

L1U1F4F4

Today it means: The vertical edge of a sail that is closest to the direction of the wind. Full definition →

Old French lof ← Middle Dutch loef
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The story

  1. Middle Dutch · derived fromloef
  2. Old French · derived fromlof
  3. English todayluff

From Old French lof. Collins English Dictionary states that this word is ultimately derived from Middle Dutch loef. Ellert Ekwall's Shakspere's Vocabulary: its etymological elements (1903) related this verb and loof instead to the East Frisian verb lofen, lufen, which would make it cognate to the French term lover.

Words from the same roots

Middle Dutchloef all →

loof

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.