English

airpuff

From air + puff.

A compound of air + puff

Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ήρ ‘mist, air’

Latin āēr

Old French air

Middle English aire

English air

Proto-West Germanic *puf(f)- ‘to blow, puff’

Old English pyf ‘a blast of wind, puff’

Middle English puff

English puff

Today it means

noun A short, sharp puff of air designed to startle a small animal in a biological experiment.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.