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Added 9 October 2026

snuff

/snʌf/ noun

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

The charred portion of a candlewick.
A pinch of smokeless tobacco inhaled at a single time.
Finely powdered tobacco for sniffing up the nose.

verb

Sniff or smell inquiringly.
Inhale (something) through the nose.
snuff coke

adjective

Snuff colored; of a greyish to yellowish brown.

Origin

Late Middle English, from Middle Dutch snuffen (“to snuff, sniff, snuffle”). Related to Dutch snuiven (“to sniff”), Middle Low German snûve (“pose, head-cold”), German Schnupfen (“head-cold”). The noun is probably from Dutch snuf (“snuff”), an abbreviation of snuftabak, snuiftabak (“snuff”). Related to sniff (compare Dutch snuffen (“snuff”), German schnupf (“snuff”), French schnouff (“junk”)).

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

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