*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of tiff

The origin of the noun is unknown; it is possibly originally dialectal and may be onomatopoeic, representing the sound of a small puff of air or gas. The verb is derived from the noun.

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

A (generally small) argument or disagreement; a petty quarrel, a spat. · A brief outburst or period of bad temper; a snit; also (rare) any brief outburst (for example, of laughter).

verb

To be involved in a (generally small) argument or disagreement; to squabble.

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

The origin of the noun is unknown; it is possibly originally dialectal and may be onomatopoeic, representing the sound of a small puff of air or gas. The verb is derived from the noun.

Inspect preserved source fields

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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Alternative letter-case form of TIFF (acronym of tagged image file format).

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

See TIFF.

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
verb

Synonym of tiffin (“to eat a (light) midday meal or snack; to have lunch, to lunch”).

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

Probably a back-formation from or clipping of tiff(in) (“(light) midday meal or snack, luncheon”).

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 ↗
noun

A small draught or sip of liquor (especially diluted or poor quality liquor) or punch. · Liquor, especially diluted or poor quality liquor.

verb

To drink (liquor), especially slowly or in small amounts; to sip.

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

The origin of the noun is unknown; it may be onomatopoeic, representing the sound of liquor being sipped. The verb is derived from the noun.

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

The way in which one's body or hair is decked out or dressed.

verb

To deck out or dress (someone or oneself, or their body or hair). · To deck out or dress one's body or hair.

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

From Middle English tiffen, tif, tiffe (“to adorn, dress up; to arrange (a hairstyle); to disguise”), from Old French tifer, tiffer (“to adorn, dress up”) (modern French attifer (“to deck out”)), from Frankish *tipfōn, *tippōn (“to decorate”), possibly related to Proto-Germanic *tuppaz (“plait of hair, tuft; summit, top”) (see the further etymology at that entry). The noun is derived from the verb. cognates * Dutch tippen (“to clip the points or ends of the hair”) * English tip (noun) * Middle High German zipfen (“to bob; to flutter; to frisk, prance, skip; to sashay”) * Old Norse tippa (“point, tip”)

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentiontiffenenm
  • Derivation mentiontiferfro
  • Cognate mentionattiferfr · to deck out
  • Cognate mention*tuppazgem-pro · plait of hair, tuft; summit, top
  • Cognate mentiontippennl · to clip the points or ends of the hair
  • Cognate mentiontipen
  • Cognate mentionzipfengmh · to bob; to flutter; to frisk, prance, skip; to sashay
  • Cognate mentiontippanon · point, tip
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 tiff →

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
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Import run
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Permanent entry ID
w-dGlmZg