English word origin

Etymology of baff

From Middle English baffen (“to bark”). Cognate with Dutch baffen (“to bark”), Low German baffen (“to bark”), German baffen, bäfzen (“to bark”), Danish bjæffe (“to yelp”), Swedish bjäbba (“to yelp, bark”). Compare buff,

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

verb

To bark; yelp.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionbaffenenm · to bark
Cognate mentionbaffennl · to bark
Cognate mentionbaffennds · to bark
Cognate mentionbaffende
Cognate mentionbjæffeda · to yelp
Cognate mentionbjäbbasv · to yelp, bark

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "baffen",
        "t": "to bark"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English baffen (“to bark”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "baffen",
        "t": "to bark"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch baffen (“to bark”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "baffen",
        "t": "to bark"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German baffen (“to bark”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "baffen"
      },
      "expansion": "German baffen"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "bjæffe",
        "t": "to yelp"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish bjæffe (“to yelp”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "bjäbba",
        "t": "to yelp, bark"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish bjäbba (“to yelp, bark”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "baffen",
      "baffen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "baffen",
      "baffen#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "baffen",
      "baffen#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "baffen",
      "baffen#German"
    ],
    [
      "bäfzen",
      "bäfzen#German"
    ],
    [
      "bjæffe",
      "bjæffe#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "bjäbba",
      "bjäbba#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "buff",
      "buff#English"
    ],
    [
      "yaff",
      "yaff#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To bark; yelp."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "intransitive"
      ],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To hit or strike, especially with something flat or soft. · To strike the ground with the bottom of the club when taking a stroke.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Probably from Scots baff, beff, bauf, probably from West Flemish baf, baffe (“a blow, slap in the face”). Compare also Old French baffe (“slap in the face”) (Modern French baffe), of imitative origin.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionbaffsco
Derivation mentionbafvls
Cognate mentionbaffefro · slap in the face
Cognate mentionbaffefr

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sco",
        "3": "baff"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots baff"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "vls",
        "3": "baf"
      },
      "expansion": "West Flemish baf"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fro",
        "2": "baffe",
        "t": "slap in the face"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French baffe (“slap in the face”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fr",
        "2": "baffe"
      },
      "expansion": "French baffe"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "baff",
      "baff#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "beff",
      "beff#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "bauf",
      "bauf#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "baf",
      "baf#West_Flemish"
    ],
    [
      "baffe",
      "baffe#West_Flemish"
    ],
    [
      "baffe",
      "baffe#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "baffe",
      "baffe#French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To hit or strike, especially with something flat or soft.",
        "To strike the ground with the bottom of the club when taking a stroke."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for baff →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-YmFmZg