English
tuft
Tuft comes from Late Latin tūfa ‘helmet crest’.
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEtūfa‘helmet crest’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400touffe
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tuft
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1749same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEtūfa‘helmet crest’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400touffe
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tuft
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1749same form
Earliest quotation: a. 1749, James Thomson, Winter: “His tufted cottage rising through the snow”.
Every English word from Late Latin tūfa
Today it means
noun A bunch of feathers, grass or hair, etc., held together at the base.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Late Latin tūfa / tuft