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Added 8 October 2026

puff

/pʌf/ noun

In Latin: anhēlō Wiktionary

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

A short light gust of air.
A light inflated pastry or puff shell.
Exaggerated praise (as for promotional purposes).

verb

Smoke and exhale strongly.
puff a cigar
Suck in or take (air).
draw a deep breath
Breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted.
The runners reached the finish line, panting heavily

adjective

Gathered for protruding fullness.
puff sleeves

Origin

From Middle English puff, puf, from Old English pyf (“a blast of wind, puff”), from Proto-West Germanic *puf(f)- (“to blow, puff”), of imitative origin. Cognate with Dutch puf (“puff, wind, fart”), Middle Low German puf, pof (“puff”).

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

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