tuft

tuft

a bunch of hairs, feathers, grass, etc. growing closely together or attached at the base
any similar cluster; specif.,
1. a clump of plants or trees
2. the fluffy ball forming the end of any of the clusters of threads drawn tightly through a mattress, quilt, etc. to hold the padding in place
3. a decorative button to which such a tuft is fastened

Origin of tuft

Middle English (with unhistoric -t) from Old French tufe, probably from Classical Latin tufa, a kind of helmet crest

to provide or decorate with a tuft or tufts
to secure the padding of (a quilt, mattress, etc.) by regularly spaced tufts

to grow in or form into tufts

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MLA Style

"tuft." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/tuft>.

APA Style

tuft. (n.d.). Retrieved December 18th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/tuft

tuft

noun

A short cluster of elongated strands, as of yarn, hair, or grass, attached at the base or growing close together.
A dense clump, especially of trees or bushes.

verb

tuft·ed, tuft·ing, tufts

verb

transitive

To furnish or ornament with tufts or a tuft.
To pass threads through the layers of (a quilt, mattress, or upholstery), securing the thread ends with a knot or button.

verb

intransitive

To separate or form into tufts.
To grow in a tuft.

Origin of tuft

Middle English probably alteration of Old French tofe from Late Latin tufa helmet crest or of Germanic origin

Related Forms:

tuft′er
noun

tuft′y
adjective

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"tuft." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/tuft>.

APA Style

tuft. (n.d.). Retrieved December 18th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/tuft

Noun

(plural tufts)

A bunch of feathers, grass or hair, etc., held together at the base.
A cluster of threads drawn tightly through upholstery, a mattress or a quilt, etc., to secure and strengthen the padding.
A small clump of trees or bushes.
(historical) A gold tassel on the cap worn by titled undergraduates at English universities.
(historical) A person entitled to wear such a tassel.

Verb

(third-person singular simple present tufts, present participle tufting, simple past and past participle tufted)

To provide or decorate with a tuft or tufts.
To form into tufts.
To secure and strengthen (a mattress, quilt, etc.) with tufts.
(intransitive) To be formed into tufts.

Origin

Middle English toft(e), from Middle French tofe, toffe 'tuft', from Late Latin (near Vegezio) tufa 'helmet crest', from Germanic (compare Old English Ã°Å«f 'tuft', Old Norse Ã¾Ãºfa 'mound', Swedish tuva 'tussock, grassy hillock'), from Proto-Germanic *Ã¾Å«bÇ, *Ã¾Å«baz; akin to Latin tÅ«ber 'hump, swelling', Ancient Greek typhÄ“ 'cattail (used to stuff beds)'.