Revised 2022 More entries for "chaff"

chaffverb2

Etymology
Meaning & use
Pronunciation
Frequency
Compounds & derived words

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Factsheet

What does the verb chaff mean?

There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the verb chaff. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

See meaning & use

How common is the verb chaff?

About 0.06occurrences per million words in modern written English

1820	0.029
1830	0.051
1840	0.074
1850	0.097
1860	0.13
1870	0.17
1880	0.2
1890	0.24
1900	0.25
1910	0.25
1920	0.23
1930	0.2
1940	0.17
1950	0.14
1960	0.1
1970	0.073
1980	0.061
1990	0.051
2000	0.046
2010	0.045

See frequency

How is the verb chaff pronounced?

British English

/tʃɑːf/

chahff

/tʃaf/

chaff

U.S. English

/tʃæf/

chaff

See pronunciation

Where does the verb chaff come from?

Earliest known use

1820s

The earliest known use of the verb chaff is in the 1820s.

OED's earliest evidence for chaff is from 1820, in Morning Chronicle.

chaff is perhaps a variant or alteration of another lexical item. Perhaps formed within English, by conversion.

Etymons: chaff n.2; chaff n.1; chaff v.1; chafe v.

See etymology

Nearby entries

chafer, n.²1395–
chafer, v.1678–
chafern | chaffern, n.1613–1721
chafery, n.1663–
chafe-wax, n.1607–1886
chafeweed | chaffweed, n.1548–
chafewort, n.1548
chaff, n.¹Old English–
chaff, n.²1821–
chaff, v.¹1703–
chaff, v.²1820–
chaff, v.³1828–
chaff bed, n.1582–
chaff box, n.1749–
chaff cutter, n.1744–
chaffed, adj.c1485–
chaff engine, n.1745–
chaffer, n.¹c1225–
chaffer, n.²a1777–
chaffer, n.³1821–
chaffer, v.1340–

Browse more nearby entries

Etymology

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Entry history for chaff, v.²

chaff, v.² was revised in September 2022.

chaff, v.² was last modified in July 2023.

oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:

further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
new senses, phrases, and quotations.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into chaff, v.² in July 2023.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1889)

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OED Second Edition (1989)

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View chaff, v.² in OED Second Edition

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Chicago

Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “,” , .

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MLA9

“” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, , .

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Citation details

Factsheet for chaff, v.²

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Nearby entries

chafer, n.²1395–
chafer, v.1678–
chafern | chaffern, n.1613–1721
chafery, n.1663–
chafe-wax, n.1607–1886
chafeweed | chaffweed, n.1548–
chafewort, n.1548
chaff, n.¹Old English–
chaff, n.²1821–
chaff, v.¹1703–
chaff, v.²1820–
chaff, v.³1828–
chaff bed, n.1582–
chaff box, n.1749–
chaff cutter, n.1744–
chaffed, adj.c1485–
chaff engine, n.1745–
chaffer, n.¹c1225–
chaffer, n.²a1777–
chaffer, n.³1821–
chaffer, v.1340–

Browse more nearby entries