English
kerfuffle
Kerfuffle may come from Scots carfuffle.
- Scotsc. 1450–presentcarfuffleas curfuffleuncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 2009kerfuffle
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Scotsc. 1450–presentcarfuffleas curfuffleuncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 2009kerfuffle
Earliest quotation: 2009, Stuart Heritage, Jon & Kate Latest: People You Don’t Know Do Crap You Don’t C: “You know all this kerfuffle about Jordan and Peter…”
Formed from ker- + fuffle
The story
Probably from Scots curfuffle, equivalent to ker- + fuffle, or related to Irish cíor thuathail (‘confusion, bewilderment’).
Every English word from Scots carfuffle
Today it means
noun A disorderly outburst, disturbance, commotion, or tumult.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Scots carfuffle / kerfuffle