cuff 1  (k ŭf)
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n.1. a. A fold used as trimming at the bottom of a sleeve. b. A band, often having an opening with a button closure, at the bottom of a sleeve. 2. The turned-up fold at the bottom of a trouser leg. 3. The band at the top of a sock. 4. The part of a glove that extends over the wrist. 5. A bracelet consisting of a curved, open-ended band, as of metal or resin, that fits the wrist firmly without a clasp. 6. A handcuff. 7. Medicine An inflatable band, usually wrapped around the upper arm, that is used along with a sphygmomanometer in measuring arterial blood pressure. tr.v. cuffed, cuff·ing, cuffs 1. To form a cuff or cuffs on. 2. To put handcuffs on. Idioms: off the cuff In an extemporaneous or informal manner.
[Middle English cuffe, mitten.]  (click for a larger image) cuff1silver and carnelian bracelet cuff |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
cuff 2  (k ŭf)
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tr.v. cuffed, cuff·ing, cuffs To strike with or as if with the open hand; slap. n. A blow or slap with the open hand.
[Origin unknown.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
Semitic Roots
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
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