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Added 9 October 2026

chaff

/t͡ʃæf/ noun

In Latin: apluda, palea Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about chaff at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds.
Foil in thin strips; ejected into the air as a radar countermeasure.

verb

Be silly or tease one another.
After we relaxed, we just kidded around

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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