Ruff, ruf, n. an ornament of frills formerly worn round the neck: anything plaited: a bird belonging to the sandpiper sub-family of the Snipe family, the male with an erectile ruff during the breeding season—fem. Reeve: a band of long hair growing round the neck of some dogs: (mach.) an annular ridge formed on a shaft to prevent motion endwise: a breed of domestic pigeons: (obs.) a display.—v.t. to pucker: to draw up in folds: to ruffle, disorder: in falconry, to hit without trussing: (Scot.) to applaud by making noise with hands or feet.—adj. Ruffed, having a ruff, as the ruffed grouse. [Prob. ruffle.]
Ruff, ruf, n. an old game at cards: the act of trumping when the player has no cards of the suit left.—v.t. to trump in this way. [Perh. conn. with It. ronfa, a card-game.]
Ruff, ruf, n. ruggedness.—v.t. to heckle flax on a coarse heckle: to nap hats.—n. Ruff′er, a coarse heckle for flax.—adj. Ruff′y-tuff′y, disordered, rough.—adv. helter-skelter, pell-mell.
Ruff, ruf, n. a low vibrating beat of a drum.
Ruff, ruf, n. a small fresh-water fish of the Perch family, abundant in England, about six inches long, with only one dorsal fin.—Also Pope.
Ruffian, ruf′i-an, n. a brutal, boisterous fellow: a robber: a murderer: a pander.—adj. brutal: boisterous: licentious: stormy.—v.i. to play the ruffian, to rage.—n. Ruff′ianage.—adj. Ruff′ianish, having the qualities or manners of a ruffian.—n. Ruff′ianism, conduct of a ruffian.—adjs. Ruff′ianly, like a ruffian: violent; Ruff′inous (obs.), ruffianly, outrageously. [O. Fr. ruffian (Fr. rufien; It. rufiano), prob. from Old Dut. roffen, roffelen, a pander.]
Ruffin, ruf′in, n. (Spens.) the ruff-fish.
Ruffle, ruf′l, v.t. to make like a ruff, to wrinkle: to form into plaits: to form with ruffles: to disorder: to agitate.—v.i. to grow rough: to flutter.—n. annoyance: a quarrel: a plaited article of dress: a tumult: agitation.—adj. Ruff′led.—ns. Ruff′lement; Ruff′ler, a machine for making ruffles; Ruff′ling, ruffles generally.—Ruffle one's feathers, to make one angry. [Cf. Dut. ruifelen, to wrinkle, ruyffel, a wrinkle.]
Ruffle, ruf′l, v.i. to act turbulently: to swagger.—v.t. to bully.—n. Ruff′ler, a bully. [Ruffian.]
Rufous, rōō′fus, adj. reddish or brownish-red: having reddish hair.—adj. Ru′fūlous, somewhat rufous. [L. rufus, akin to ruber, red.]