cuff
pronunciation
How to pronounce cuff in British English:
UK [kʌf]
How to pronounce cuff in American English:
US [kʌf]
-
- Noun:
- the lap consisting of a turned-back hem encircling the end of the sleeve or leg
- shackle that consists of a metal loop that can be locked around the wrist; usually used in pairs
-
- Verb:
- hit with the hand
- confine or restrain with or as if with manacles or handcuffs
Word Origin
- cuff (v.1)
- "to put a cuff on," 1690s, from cuff (n.). Related: Cuffed; cuffing.
- cuff (n.)
- "bottom of a sleeve," mid-14c., cuffe "hand covering, mitten, glove," perhaps somehow from Medieval Latin cuffia "head covering," which is of uncertain origin. Sense of "band around the sleeve" is first attested 1520s; sense of "hem of trousers" is 1911. Off the cuff "extemporaneously" is 1938 American English colloquial, suggesting an actor or speaker reading from notes jotted on his shirt sleeves rather than learned lines. Cuff links is from 1897.
- cuff (v.2)
- "hit," 1520s, of unknown origin, perhaps from Swedish kuffa "to thrust, push." Related: Cuffed; cuffing. As a noun from 1560s.
Example
- 1. This shirt has a spot on the cuff .
- 2. Photo : the watch battery is smaller than the button on the shirt cuff .
- 3. Each shirt features a different motif that is embroidered either on the collar or the cuff .
- 4. Whether or not you wear a french cuff or cuff links , you ought to wear a pocket square .
- 5. Working carefully with the tiny scissors , I snipped a button off willem 's shirt and sewed it onto michael 's cuff .