*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of tufty

From tuft + -y (suffix meaning ‘having the quality of’ forming adjectives).

3 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 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 ↗
adj

Having the form of or resembling a tuft (“a bunch of grass, hair, etc., held together at the base”). · Covered in or having many tufts. · Covered with tufts (“small clumps of bushes or trees”). · Growing in tufts.

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

From tuft + -y (suffix meaning ‘having the quality of’ forming adjectives).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "1": "adjective"
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    },
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      },
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    }
  ],
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    [
      "tuft",
      "tuft#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_adjectival"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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        "Having the form of or resembling a tuft (“a bunch of grass, hair, etc., held together at the base”).",
        "Covered in or having many tufts.",
        "Covered with tufts (“small clumps of bushes or trees”).",
        "Growing in tufts."
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

The tufted duck (Aythya fuligula).

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

From tuft(ed duck) + -y (diminutive suffix).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "tufted duck"
    ],
    [
      "Aythya fuligula",
      "Aythya fuligula#Translingual"
    ],
    [
      "feathers",
      "feather#Noun"
    ],
    [
      "male",
      "male#Adjective"
    ],
    [
      "bird",
      "bird#Noun"
    ],
    [
      "head",
      "head#Noun"
    ],
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      "tuft(ed duck)",
      "tufted duck#English"
    ],
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      "-y#English:_diminutive"
    ]
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
adj

Of a cow: seeking a bull to mate with.

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

Origin unknown.

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 tufty →

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-dHVmdHk