Etymology

ruff

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Today it means: A circular frill or ruffle on a garment, especially a starched, fluted frill at the neck in Elizabethan and Jacobean England (1560s–1620s). Full definition →

First used late 16th c.Old French roffle ← Italian ronfa ← Latin triumphus
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ruff · noun, verb1

Clipping of ruffle, or possibly from rough.

ruff · noun2

Possibly from rough.

ruff · verb, noun3

  1. Ancient Greek · derived fromθρῐ́ᾰμβος“hymn to Dionysius, thriambus”
  2. Latin · derived fromtriumphus“hymn to Bacchus; celebration, triumph”
  3. Italian · derived fromtrionfo“triumph; trump card”
  4. Old French · derived fromtriomphe“a triumph, victory”
  5. Italian · derived fromronfa“card game similar to whist”
  6. Old French · derived fromroffle
  7. English todayruff

From Old French roffle, rouffle (earlier romfle, ronfle), or from Italian ronfa (“card game similar to whist”); these words are possibly from Old French triomphe (“a triumph, victory”), Italian trionfo (“triumph; trump card”), from Latin triumphus (“hymn to Bacchus; celebration, triumph”), ultimately from Ancient Greek θρῐ́ᾰμβος (thrĭ́ămbos, “hymn to Dionysius, thriambus”). The verb is derived from the noun. Doublet of trump.

ruff · noun, verb, interjection4

Onomatopoeic.

Words from the same roots

Latintriumphus all →

triumph

First known use, by meaning

  • late 16th c. To play a trump card to a trick when unable to follow suit (that is, when unable to play a card of the same suit as the previous or leading card).
  • late 16th c. An instance of ruffing, or an opportunity to ruff, when unable to follow suit.
  • late 16th c. A game similar to whist and its predecessor.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.