WordofTheDay.US

fuzz

/fʌz/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about fuzz at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. Filamentous hairlike growth on a plant.
    peach fuzz
  2. Uncomplimentary terms for a policeman.
  3. A hazy or indistinct representation.
    it happened so fast it was just a blur

Origin

Uncertain. Some dictionaries suggest a Germanic source; compare Low German fussig (“loose; spongy”), Dutch voos (“unsound; rotten”). Others, such as Webster's New College Dictionary, suggest a back-formation from fuzzy. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests, “Perhaps imitative of the action of blowing away light particles.”

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)