Meanings
present singular third person dandruffs · participle present dandruffing · participle past dandruffed · past dandruffed · alternative archaic dandriff
- To fall or cover with white flakes, like dandruff.
The toaster is broken and salt is dandruffing my wool sweater.
2014, Kaethe Schwehn, Tailings: A Memoir, page 82
Synonyms & antonyms
nounscaly white dead skin flakes from the human scalp; Pityriasis capitis
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*hreubaz
- Old Norsehrufa
- Middle Englishhurf“scab”
- Englishdandruff
The word is first attested in 1545; the first element is obscure, but compare dander. The second element derives from a Northumbrian or East Anglian Middle English hurf (“scab”), from Old Norse hrufa. Compare Dutch roof, Luxembourgish Roff. Related with Proto-Germanic *hreubaz, *hreufaz (“rough, scabby”), source of Old English hrēofla (“leprosy, leper”). More at reef (etymology 3).
More words from Middle English, Old Norse, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans skilfers
- skilfersdead skin flakes
Ancient Greek ἄχωρ
- ἄχωρ (ákhōr)dead skin flakes
Arabic قِشْرَة الرَّأْس
- قِشْرَة الرَّأْسdead skin flakes
Basque zahi, zolda
- zahidead skin flakes
- zoldadead skin flakes
Bengali খুশকি, মরামাস
- খুশকি (khuśoki)dead skin flakes
- মরামাস (moramaś)dead skin flakes
Bulgarian пъ́рхот, пъ́ршей
- пъ́рхот (pắrhot)dead skin flakes
- пъ́ршей (pắršej)dead skin flakes
Catalan caspa, arna
- caspadead skin flakes
- arnadead skin flakes
Chinese Cantonese 頭皮屑 /头皮屑, 頭皮 /头皮
- 頭皮屑 /头皮屑 (tau⁴ pei⁴ sit³)dead skin flakes
- 頭皮 /头皮 (tau⁴ pei⁴)dead skin flakes
Chinese Mandarin 頭皮屑 /头皮屑, 頭皮 /头皮
- 頭皮屑 /头皮屑 (tóupíxiè)dead skin flakes
- 頭皮 /头皮 (tóupí)dead skin flakes
Czech lupy
- lupydead skin flakes
Danish skæl
- skældead skin flakes
Dutch roos, hoofdroos
- roosdead skin flakes
- hoofdroosdead skin flakes
- pellekesdead skin flakes
Esperanto haŭtero
- haŭterodead skin flakes
Estonian kõõm
- kõõmdead skin flakes
Finnish hilse, hilseily
- hilsedead skin flakes
- hilseilydead skin flakes
- kehnädead skin flakes
French pellicules
- pelliculesdead skin flakes
German Kopfschuppen, Schuppen
- Kopfschuppendead skin flakes
- Schuppendead skin flakes
- Hautschuppedead skin flakes
- Schorfdead skin flakes
- Schmelzflockendead skin flakes
Greek πιτυρίδα
- πιτυρίδα (pityrída)dead skin flakes
Hawaiian kēpia
- kēpiadead skin flakes
Hebrew קשקשים, קַשְׂקֶשֶׂת
- קשקשים (kaskasin)dead skin flakes
- קַשְׂקֶשֶׂת (kaskéset)dead skin flakes
Hindi रूसी, रुसी
- रूसी (rūsī)dead skin flakes
- रुसी (rusī)dead skin flakes
Hungarian korpa
- korpadead skin flakes
Icelandic flasa
- flasadead skin flakes
Indonesian kětombé, běrkětombé
- kětombédead skin flakes
- běrkětombédead skin flakes
- kělěmumurdead skin flakes
Irish sail chnis
- sail chnisdead skin flakes
Italian forfora
- forforadead skin flakes
Japanese 雲脂, 頭垢
- 雲脂 (fuke)dead skin flakes
- 頭垢 (fuke)dead skin flakes
Korean 비듬
- 비듬 (bideum)dead skin flakes
Latin porrīgō
- porrīgōdead skin flakes
Latvian blaugzna
- blaugznadead skin flakes
Lithuanian pleiskana
- pleiskanadead skin flakes
Malay kelemumur
- kelemumurdead skin flakes
Māori maihi, māungaunga
- maihidead skin flakes
- māungaungadead skin flakes
- inahodead skin flakes
- pakiteadead skin flakes
Norwegian Bokmål flass
- flassdead skin flakes
Persian شوره سر, شوره
- شوره سر (šure-ye sar)dead skin flakes
- شوره (šure)dead skin flakes
Polish łupież
- łupieżdead skin flakes
Portuguese caspa
- caspadead skin flakes
Punjabi ਕਰ੍ਹ, ਸਿੱਕਰੀ
- ਕਰ੍ਹ (karh)dead skin flakes
- ਸਿੱਕਰੀ (sikkarī)dead skin flakes
Romanian mătreață
- mătreațădead skin flakes
Russian пе́рхоть
- пе́рхоть (pérxotʹ)dead skin flakes
Scottish Gaelic eanach, sgailc-mhullaich
- eanachdead skin flakes
- sgailc-mhullaichdead skin flakes
Slovak lupina
- lupinadead skin flakes
Spanish caspa
- caspadead skin flakes
Swahili mba, uyabisi
- mbadead skin flakes
- uyabisidead skin flakes
Swedish mjäll
- mjälldead skin flakes
Tagalog balakubak, kulisap
- balakubakdead skin flakes
- kulisapdead skin flakes
- dalikdikdead skin flakes
Tamil பொடுகு
- பொடுகு (poṭuku)dead skin flakes
Thai ขี้รังแค, รังแค
- ขี้รังแค (kîi-rang-kɛɛ)dead skin flakes
- รังแค (rang-kɛɛ)dead skin flakes
Turkish kepek
- kepekdead skin flakes
Ukrainian лупа́
- лупа́ (lupá)dead skin flakes
Urdu دیوار, روسی
- دیوار (devār)dead skin flakes
- روسی (rūsī)dead skin flakes
Vietnamese gàu, gầu
- gàudead skin flakes
- gầudead skin flakes
Welsh cen pen, marwdon
- cen pendead skin flakes
- marwdondead skin flakes
Yiddish שופּן
- שופּן (shupn)dead skin flakes
Cite this entry
dandruff. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dandruff
“dandruff.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dandruff. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dandruff,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dandruff.
Source: dandruff on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.