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35,981 English word records · 45,491 etymology sections in this online subset
PARTIAL ENGLISH COVERAGE · FULL CORPUS REMAINS LOCAL3 source sections across 1 headword matching “Gaff”. These are separate from the reviewed results below.
gaffEnglish (en) · Etymology 1Source text
From Middle English gaffe, from Old French gaffe, from Old Occitan gaf (“hook”), derivative of gafar (“to seize”), from 𐌲𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽 (giban, “to give”). Doublet of gaffe. Etymology 1, noun sense 5 apparently derives from the idea that the garment tricks or deceives others about the wearer's genitalia.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗gaffEnglish (en) · Etymology 2Source text
Perhaps from Old English gafsprǣc (“buffoonery, scurrility; blasphemous or ribald speech”), from Old English gaf (“base, vile, lewd”) + Old English sprǣc (“language, speech, talk”). Compare Old English gaffetung, gafettung (“scoffing, mockery, derision”).
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗gaffEnglish (en) · Etymology 3Source text
Unknown. Possibly from Etymology 1, via a sense of “a place that will be robbed” in criminal argot; possibly from Etymology 2, via a sense of "cheap theatre"; possibly from Romani gav (“village”) (whence German Kaff (“village”)).
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗INDEPENDENT SOURCE LIBRARY
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Chambers (1908)
1908- GaffEnglish · e-38538-2495
Gaff, gaf, n. a hook used esp. for landing large fish after they have been hooked on the line and spent by the skill of the angler: (naut.) the spar to which the head of a fore-and-aft sail is bent.—v.t. to hook or bind
Read the full source record → - GaffEnglish · e-38538-2496
Gaff, gaf, n. (slang) a low theatre: a fair.
Read the full source record → - GaffEnglish · e-38538-2497
Gaff, gaf, v.i. (slang) to gamble.—ns. Gaff′er; Gaff′ing.
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