Dictionary

ruffler en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈɹʌflə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈɹʌflɚ/ (General-American)

Etymology

From ruffle + -er.

Meanings

1. (historical) A ruffian, bully, or villain, especially a 16th-17th-century vagabond operating under the guise of a maimed soldier or sailor.
   • 1840-1841, Charles Dickens, Master Humphrey's Clock […] and then how he grasped his club and longed to do battle with a dozen rufflers, for the love of Mistress Alice!
   • The ruffler in leather, who lately went fighting through the door, has returned, presumably by means of another entrance. 1978, Michael Moorcock, chapter 1, in Gloriana; or, The Unfulfill'd Queen:
2. A sewing machine attachment for making ruffles.

Forms