doff
Meanings
verb
- To remove or take off (something worn on the body such as armour or clothing, or something carried).
- To remove or tip (a hat or other headwear) in greeting or salutation, or as a mark of respect.
- To undress (oneself); to divest, to strip.
- To cast aside or get rid of (something), to throw off.
- To remove (a bobbin or spindle which is full of spun yarn) from a spinning frame for replacement with an empty one.
- To remove (small pieces of cotton or other plant fibre, etc.) from a carding cylinder.
- To put off or turn away (someone) with an excuse, etc.
- To remove or tip a hat or other headwear in greeting or salutation, or as a mark of respect.
- Followed by with: to remove or take off something worn on the body, or something carried.
noun
- Followed by off: an act of putting off or turning away someone with an excuse, etc.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
PIE word *h₂epó The verb is derived from Late Middle English doffen (“to take off (clothing); to remove (headwear) as a sign of respect; to remove (grease) by skimming”), a contraction of Middle English do off, don off, from Old English dōn of, from dōn (“to do; to put; to take off, remove”) + of (“from; off”). Dōn is derived from Proto-West Germanic *dōn (“to do; to place, put”), from Proto-Germanic *dōną (“to do; to make; to place, put”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to do; to place, put”). By surface analysis, do + off. Compare don (by surface analysis, do + on), dout (do + out), dup (do + up). The noun is derived from the verb.
Antonyms
Derived words
Translations
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