chaff Definition
chaff (c̸haf, c̸häf)
noun
- the husks of wheat or other grain separated in threshing or winnowing
- fine-cut hay or straw, used for fodder
- anything regarded as worthless
- tiny strips of metal foil used to confuse enemy radar
- good-natured teasing or joking; banter
- 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 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
Browse dictionary entries near chaff
- ‹ chafer
- ‹ chafe
- ‹ chaetopod
- ‹ chaetognath
- ‹ chaeto-
- ‹ chaeta
- ‹ Chaeronea
- ‹ chaebol
- ‹ Chadwick
- ‹ chador
- chaffer ›
- chaffinch ›
- chaffy ›
- chafing dish ›
- Chagall ›
- Chagas' disease ›
- Chagos Archipelago ›
- Chagres ›
- chagrin ›
- chai ›

