*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of moff

Uncertain. Akin to the synonymous Georgian მოვი (movi), Armenian մով (mov) and Persian [script needed] (mov), the latter attested ca. 1540 in ʿAlamara-ye Shah Tahmasp in the phrase [script needed] (alecheh-ye mov kar-e H

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 ↗
noun

A thin silk material made in the Caucasus.

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

Uncertain. Akin to the synonymous Georgian მოვი (movi), Armenian մով (mov) and Persian [script needed] (mov), the latter attested ca. 1540 in ʿAlamara-ye Shah Tahmasp in the phrase [script needed] (alecheh-ye mov kar-e Hend, “mov-alacha made in India”). Note further Tajik мовут (movut), Uzbek movut (“broadcloth”).

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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    {
      "name": "unc",
      "args": {
        "1": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "Uncertain"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ka",
        "2": "მოვი"
      },
      "expansion": "Georgian მოვი (movi)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "hy",
        "2": "մով",
        "id": "fabric"
      },
      "expansion": "Armenian մով (mov)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fa",
        "tr": "mov"
      },
      "expansion": "Persian [script needed] (mov)"
    },
    {
      "name": "ncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "tg",
        "2": "мовут"
      },
      "expansion": "Tajik мовут (movut)"
    },
    {
      "name": "ncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "uz",
        "2": "movut",
        "t": "broadcloth"
      },
      "expansion": "Uzbek movut (“broadcloth”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "მოვი",
      "მოვი#Georgian"
    ],
    [
      "մով",
      "մով#Armenian:_fabric"
    ],
    [
      "alacha",
      "alacha"
    ],
    [
      "мовут",
      "мовут#Tajik"
    ],
    [
      "movut",
      "movut#Uzbek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A thin silk material made in the Caucasus."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "uncountable"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "58803c32d2d5c1e861e00588d05507f49f9c2427482f1fea6d5dba8ce5dd80aa",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 3750236
    }
  ],
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A moth.

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

Mutation of moth

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "moth",
        "notext": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "moth"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "moth",
      "moth#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A moth."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "endearing",
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "0c5effb7f8dd71e2034d04feea0b5f41ed045242dcaae162c74026bc8c9301c9",
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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 moff →

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-bW9mZg