cuff

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kʌf/
• Rhymes: -ʌf

Etymology 1

From Middle English cuffe, coffe (“glove, mitten”), of obscure origin. Perhaps from Old English cuffie (“hood, cap”), from Medieval Latin cofia, cofea, cuffa, cuphia (“helmet, headdress, hood, cap”), from Frankish *kuf(f)ja (“headdress”), from Proto-Germanic *kupjō (“cap”). Cognate with Middle High German kupfe (“cap”).

Noun

cuff (plural cuffs)

1. (obsolete) glove; mitten.
2. The end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist.
3. The end of a pants leg, folded up.

Translations

The end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist

• Bulgarian: маншет (bg) (manšet) m, ръкавела (bg) (rǎkavela) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 袖口 (cmn) (xiùkǒu)

• Czech: manžeta (cs) f
• Danish: manchet (da) c
• Dutch: manchet (nl)
• Esperanto: manumo (eo)
• Finnish: hihansuu (fi), kalvosin (fi)
• French: manchette (fr) f
• German: Manschette (de) f
• Hebrew: חֵפֶת (he) m
• Hungarian: mandzsetta (hu)

• Japanese: 袖口 (ja) (そでぐち, sodeguchi), カフ (ja) (kafu)
• Macedonian: манжетна (mk) (manžétna) f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: mansjett (no) m

  Nynorsk: mansjett (nn) m

• Polish: mankiet (pl) m
• Portuguese: punho (pt) m
• Russian: манжета (ru) (manžéta) f, обшлаг (ru) (obšlág) m
• Scottish Gaelic: bann-dùirn (gd) m
• Spanish: puño (es) m, ruedo (es) m
• Swedish: manschett (sv) c
• Turkish: manşet (tr)

The end of a pants leg, folded up

• Bulgarian: маншет (bg) (manšet) m
• Finnish: lahkeenkäänne (fi)
• Macedonian: манжетна (mk) (manžétna) f

• Polish: mankiet (pl) m
• Portuguese: barra (pt) f

Related terms

• cufflinks
• turnup
• off-the-cuff

Verb

cuff (third-person singular simple present cuffs, present participle cuffing, simple past and past participle cuffed)

1. (transitive) To furnish with cuffs.
2. (transitive) To handcuff.

Translations

to handcuff

• Bulgarian: слагам белезници (bg) (slagam beleznici)
• Finnish: laittaa käsiraudat, käsiraudoittaa (fi)
• French: menotter (fr)

• Macedonian: става лисици (mk) (stáva lísici)
• Spanish: esposas (es)
• Swedish: sätta handbojor på (sv)

Etymology 2

1520, “to hit”, apparently of North Germanic origin, from Norwegian kuffa (“to push, shove”) or Swedish kuffa (“to knock, thrust, strike”). Related to Low German kuffen (“to box the ears”), German kuffen (“to thrash”). Perhaps related also to Swedish skuffa (“to push, shove”). More at scuff, shove, scuffle.

Verb

cuff (third-person singular simple present cuffs, present participle cuffing, simple past and past participle cuffed)

1. (transitive) To hit, as a reproach, particularly with the open palm to the head; to slap the head.
2. (intransitive) To fight; to scuffle; to box.
   • Dryden

     While the peers cuff to make the rabble sport.

Translations

To hit, as a reproach

• Bulgarian: пляскам (bg) (pljaskam)
• Finnish: läimäyttää (fi)
• French: gifler (fr), souffleter (fr)

• Macedonian: плеснува (mk) (plésnuva), удира шлаканица (mk) (údira šlakánica)
• Spanish: abofetear (es)

Noun

cuff (plural cuffs)

1. A blow, especially with the open hand; a box; a slap.
   • Spenser

     Snatcheth his sword, and fiercely to him flies; / Who well it wards, and quitten cuff with cuff.

   • Hudibras

     Many a bitter kick and cuff.