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

chaff Synonyms

chaff

n.

  1. Husks

    hulls, shells, crusts, pods; see shell 1.

  2. Trash

    refuse, waste, debris; see trash 1, 3.

chaff Usage Examples

Preposition: that

blow: They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

Converse of object

  • separate: The first step, it seems, is to separate the chaff from the grain.
  • burn: Yesterday I passed a field in which they were burning the chaff.
  • blow: The many enemies of Jerusalem " will become like fine dust, the ruthless hordes like blown chaff.
  • winnow: Show me any mode for winnowing the chaff from the corn.
  • contain: A further 9 % of samples contain only glume wheat chaff.

Adjective modifier

  • only: A further 9 % of samples contain only glume wheat chaff.
  • random: No attempt is made to prevent random chaff from being recognized as a valid section of the message.
  • low: These are fed in very small quantities and can be fed with a low calorie chaff such as Dengie Hi-Fi.
  • little: Few men, perhaps, ever gave their hearers so much wheat and so little chaff.
  • much: No real attempt has been made to sift so much chaff, in order to find how much of value may be present.

Modifies a noun

  • cutter: It now stands in Bay XII next to the chaff cutters.
  • house: Beatrice Warner, sister of the deceased said she found her brother hanging in the chaff house.

Noun used with modifier

  • chiff: The sound of the chiff chaff is unmistakable; it sings the sound of its name.
  • glume: A further 9 % of samples contain only glume wheat chaff.
  • wheat: Cereal by-products - wheat chaff, maize gluten feed, rice bran.
  • cereal: The results of correspondence analysis confirm the association with cereal chaff.
  • barley: There is only one sample that comprises just barley chaff with no grains.

Preposition: from

  • wheat: Here are 18 crunch questions to help you sift the chaff from the wheat.
  • grain: The first step, it seems, is to separate the chaff from the grain.

Browse dictionary entries near chaff

  1. chafer
  2. chafe
  3. chaetopod
  4. chaetognath
  5. chaeto-
  6. chaeta
  7. Chaeronea
  8. chaebol
  9. Chadwick
  10. chador
  1. chaffer
  2. chaffinch
  3. chaffy
  4. chafing dish
  5. Chagall
  6. Chagas' disease
  7. Chagos Archipelago
  8. Chagres
  9. chagrin
  10. chai