chaff Hear it!

chaff definition

chaff (c̸haf, c̸häf)

noun

  1. the husks of wheat or other grain separated in threshing or winnowing
  2. fine-cut hay or straw, used for fodder
  3. anything regarded as worthless
  4. tiny strips of metal foil used to confuse enemy radar
  5. good-natured teasing or joking; banter
  6. Bot. the bracts that enclose the individual florets on the receptacles of certain composite heads

Etymology: ME chaf < OE ceaf; akin to MDu caf, Ger kaff

transitive verb, intransitive verb

to tease or ridicule in a good-natured way

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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