chaff en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /t͡ʃæf/ (US)
- /t͡ʃæf/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /t͡ʃɑːf/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From Middle English chaf, from Old English ċeaf, from Proto-West Germanic *kaf. Cognate with Scots caff, Saterland Frisian Sääf, West Frisian tsjêf, Dutch kaf, German Low German Kaff, regional German Kaff.
Meanings
-
(uncountable, usually) The inedible parts of a grain-producing plant.
To separate out the chaff, early cultures tossed baskets of grain into the air and let the wind blow away the lighter chaff.
So take the corn and leave the chaff behind.
1700, [John] Dryden, “The Cock and the Fox: Or, The Tale of the Nun’s Priest, from Chaucer”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:In the passage outside the door, the threshers, who had done their day's work, were stamping the snow off their feet before they came in, - their hair full of chaff.
1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 251:
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(uncountable, usually) Straw or hay cut up fine for the food of cattle.
By adding chaff to his corn, the horse must take more time to eat it, and time is given for the commencement of digestion, before fermentation can occur. In this way chaff is very useful, especially after long fasts.
1831, William Youatt, The Horse, page 130:
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(figuratively, uncountable, usually) Any excess or unwanted material, resource, or person; anything worthless.
the chaff and ruin of the times
c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ix]:Who that has prided himself on his spiritual strength has not seen it humbled to the dust? A knowledge of religion, as distinguished from experience, seems but chaff in such moments of trial.
1927-1929, Mahatma Gandhi, chapter XXI, in Mahadev Desai, transl., The Story of My Experiments with Truth, published 1940:
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(uncountable, usually) Light jesting talk; banter; raillery.
It was the chaff of the College at the time, but I could not help it.
1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:As for Huxter, perfectly at good-humour with himself, and the world, it never entered his mind that he could be disagreeable to anybody; and the little dispute, or “chaff,” as he styled it, of Vauxhall, was a trifle which he did not in the least regard.
1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 51, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:
- (uncountable, usually) Loose material, e.g. small strips of aluminum foil dropped from aircraft, intended to interfere with radar detection.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| chaffs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Deriveds
sort the wheat from the chaff · chaffy · winnow the wheat from the chaff · chaff cutter · chaffweed · chafflike · separate the wheat from the chaff · prickly chaff flower · chaffinch · you can't catch old birds with chaff · chaff tree · chaff flower · chaffless · chaff engine · winnow grain from chaff · chaffbag
Hyponyms
Relateds
Synonyms
Translations (127)
gd càth (inedible parts of grain plant) · cmn 穀糠 /谷糠 (inedible parts of grain plant) · bg пля́ва (inedible parts of grain plant) · gl coaño (straw or hay cut up for cattle food) · pt palha (inedible parts of grain plant) · pl sieczka (straw or hay cut up for cattle food) · ja もみがら (inedible parts of grain plant) · es paja (excess or unwanted material) · grc ἄχυρον (inedible parts of grain plant) · sq byk (inedible parts of grain plant) · ta உமி (inedible parts of grain plant) · ro pleavă (inedible parts of grain plant) · mi tiawhe (straw or hay cut up for cattle food) · ru мяки́на (inedible parts of grain plant) · sv agn (inedible parts of grain plant) · fi ruumen (inedible parts of grain plant) · ug توپان (inedible parts of grain plant) · mr भुसकट (inedible parts of grain plant) · be пало́ва (inedible parts of grain plant) · cs pleva (inedible parts of grain plant) · txb pīsäl (inedible parts of grain plant) · cmn 秕糠 (inedible parts of grain plant) · pt moinha (inedible parts of grain plant) · ml വയ്ക്കോൽ (straw or hay cut up for cattle food) · nl kaf (inedible parts of grain plant) · ja 籾殻 (inedible parts of grain plant) · de Spelze (inedible parts of grain plant) · cmn 糠 (inedible parts of grain plant) · cim bülla (inedible parts of grain plant) · sh плева (inedible parts of grain plant) · uk сі́чка (straw or hay cut up for cattle food) · la apluda (inedible parts of grain plant) · fi vinoilu (light jesting talk) · sh pljeva (excess or unwanted material) · th แกลบ (inedible parts of grain plant) · id sekam (inedible parts of grain plant) · fy tsjêf (inedible parts of grain plant) · oc òlva (inedible parts of grain plant) · sw wishwa (inedible parts of grain plant) · pl plewy (inedible parts of grain plant) · fi akana (inedible parts of grain plant) · ru отбро́сы (excess or unwanted material) · oc àbet (inedible parts of grain plant) · ru се́чка (inedible parts of grain plant) · sh пљева (inedible parts of grain plant) · ga lóchán (inedible parts of grain plant) · es tamo (inedible parts of grain plant) · he מוץ (inedible parts of grain plant) · sw wishwa (excess or unwanted material) · hy դարման (inedible parts of grain plant) · fr balle (inedible parts of grain plant) · ru поло́ва (inedible parts of grain plant) · sk plevy (inedible parts of grain plant) · gl caño (inedible parts of grain plant) · kk қауыз (inedible parts of grain plant) · grc λέπυρον (inedible parts of grain plant) · mt karfa (inedible parts of grain plant) · vi trấu (inedible parts of grain plant) · es paja (inedible parts of grain plant) · bg закачка (light jesting talk) · hu szecska (straw or hay cut up for cattle food) · gl empallada (straw or hay cut up for cattle food) · es bagazo (inedible parts of grain plant) · sh pleva (excess or unwanted material) · mi pāpapa (inedible parts of grain plant) · ml പതിര് (excess or unwanted material) · gl palla (straw or hay cut up for cattle food) · gl coaño (inedible parts of grain plant) · sa पलाव (inedible parts of grain plant) · gl muíña (inedible parts of grain plant) · fi irvailu (light jesting talk) · lb Kuef (inedible parts of grain plant) · mi pāpapa (straw or hay cut up for cattle food) · sh пљева (excess or unwanted material) · gl mastullada (straw or hay cut up for cattle food) · ak ntɛtɛ (inedible parts of grain plant) · mi whakatara (light jesting talk) · be мякі́на (inedible parts of grain plant) · ja 滓 (excess or unwanted material) · sl pleva (inedible parts of grain plant) · bg пля́ва (excess or unwanted material) · hu korpa (inedible parts of grain plant) · sh плева (excess or unwanted material) · ko 왕겨 (inedible parts of grain plant) · fi silppu (loose material dropped from aircraft to interfere with radar) · gl palla (inedible parts of grain plant) · sh pleva (inedible parts of grain plant) · pox plåvoi (inedible parts of grain plant) · io palio (inedible parts of grain plant) · hy հարդ (inedible parts of grain plant) · de Düppel (loose material dropped from aircraft to interfere with radar) · es barcia (inedible parts of grain plant) · ga cáith (inedible parts of grain plant) · es pienso (straw or hay cut up for cattle food) · oc ac (inedible parts of grain plant) · nl kaf (excess or unwanted material) · fi silppu (straw or hay cut up for cattle food) · ca pallús (inedible parts of grain plant) · mk плева (inedible parts of grain plant) · fr bale (inedible parts of grain plant) · uk поло́ва (inedible parts of grain plant) · kk топан (inedible parts of grain plant) · fi akanat (excess or unwanted material) · de Spreu (inedible parts of grain plant) · oc balòfa (inedible parts of grain plant) · gl palla (excess or unwanted material) · da avne (inedible parts of grain plant) · ar هَشِيم (inedible parts of grain plant) · mr कुट्टी (straw or hay cut up for cattle food) · tr kepek (inedible parts of grain plant) · ml ഉമി (inedible parts of grain plant) · sh pljeva (inedible parts of grain plant) · mnc ᠠᡵᠠ (inedible parts of grain plant) · ug كىپەك (inedible parts of grain plant) · gl tasco (inedible parts of grain plant) · la palea (inedible parts of grain plant) · gl puxa (inedible parts of grain plant) · it pula (inedible parts of grain plant) · cmn 穀殼 /谷壳 (inedible parts of grain plant) · kk кебек (inedible parts of grain plant) · gl coaño (excess or unwanted material) · it crusca (inedible parts of grain plant) · hu pelyva (inedible parts of grain plant) · ru пле́вел (inedible parts of grain plant) · mww npluag (inedible parts of grain plant) · de Kaff (inedible parts of grain plant) · cy manus (inedible parts of grain plant)