*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of duff

Representing a northern England and Scots pronunciation of dough.

5 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 5 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 ↗
noun

Dough. · A stiff flour pudding, often with dried fruit, boiled in a cloth bag, or steamed. · A pudding-style dessert, especially one made with plums or (in the Bahamas) guavas.

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

Representing a northern England and Scots pronunciation of dough.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
adj

Worthless; not working properly, defective.

noun

Decaying vegetable matter on the forest floor. · Coal dust, especially that left after screening or combined with other small, unsaleable bits of coal. · Fine and dry coal in small pieces, usually anthracite. · A mixture of coal and rock.

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

Uncertain; probably related to Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- (“to whisk, smoke, darken, obscure”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

This page abbreviates 3 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "expansion": ""
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      },
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    },
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

The buttocks.

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

Uncertain; perhaps the same as Etymology 1, above.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
verb

To disguise something to make it look new. · To sell spurious goods, often under pretence of their being stolen or smuggled. · To alter the branding of stolen cattle; to steal cattle. · To hit the ground behind the ball.

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

Originally thieves' slang; probably a back-formation from duffer.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 5

Original entry ↗
noun

Alternative form of daf (“type of drum”).

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

No narrative was extracted for this section. Available source templates and references appear below; no ancestor chain has been invented to fill the gap.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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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 duff →

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-ZHVmZg