/snʌf/, /snɐf/, /snʊf/
OriginLate Middle English, from Middle Dutch snuffen (“to snuff, sniff, snuffle”).
Related to Dutch snuiven (“to sniff”), Middle Low German snûve (“pose, head-cold”), German Schnupfen (“head-cold”). The noun is probably from Dutch snuf (“snuff”), an abbreviation of snuftabak, snuiftabak (“snuff”). Related to sniff (compare Dutch snuffen (“snuff”), German schnupf (“snuff”), French schnouff (“junk”)).
- countable, uncountableFinely ground or pulverized tobacco (or other plant derivative) intended for use by being sniffed or snorted into the nose.
“The native of some South American tribes use this drug as an aphrodisiac in the form of a snuff called cohoba.”
- countable, uncountableFine-ground or minced tobacco, dry or moistened, intended for use by placing a pinch behind the lip or beneath the tongue.
“Dry snuffs are often adulterated with quicklime, and moist snuffs, as rappee, with ammonia, hellebore, pearl-ash, etc.”
“[…] most of the women dipped snuff and of course had a spit-cup in the house.”
- countable, uncountableA snort or sniff of fine-ground, powdered, or pulverized tobacco.
- countable, uncountableThe act of briskly inhaling by the nose; a sniff, a snort.
- countable, uncountableResentment or skepticism expressed by quickly drawing air through the nose; snuffling; sniffling.
- countable, obsolete, uncountableSnot, mucus.
- countable, obsolete, uncountableSmell, scent, odour.
- countable, uncountableThe burning part of a candle wick, or the black, burnt remains of a wick (which must be periodically removed).
“his memory stinks like the snuff of a candle when it is put out […]”
“If the burning snuff happens to get out of the snuffers, you have a chance that it may fall into a dish of soup.”
- countable, obsolete, uncountableLeavings in a glass after drinking; heeltaps.
- countable, slang, uncountableA murder.
“The cops are chasing their own asses on the St Christopher case, so how about a “Are You St Christopher's Next Slaying?” piece? Profiles of all the snuffs to date and reconstructions of the victims' l”
- attributive, countable, slang, uncountableA film or video clip which involves a real non-acted murder.
- To inhale through the nose.
“He snuffs the wind, his heels the sand excite.”
“Earl Walter winds his bugle horn; / To horſe, to horſe, halloo, halloo! / His fiery courſer ſnuffs the morn, / And thronging ſerfs their Lord purſue.”
“Napoleon paced to and fro in silence, occasionally snuffing at the ground.”
- To turn up the nose and inhale air, as an expression of contempt; hence, to take offence.
“January 29, 1625, Joseph Hall, Public thanksgiving for the wonderful mitigation of the late morality
Do the enemies of the church rage and snuff?”
- Ireland, UK, obsolete, slang, transitiveTo drug (a person) with a mixture of snuff and beer.
- countable, informal, uncountableTo extinguish a candle or oil-lamp flame by covering the burning end of the wick until the flame is suffocated.
“If you like snuff stories, Mr. Witomski's computer will send you information about the Gladiator newsletter. And if you happen to prefer killing sexual partners of the opposite sex — no problem, the c”
“insane woman voice: no i’m not into snuff or gore I just like when pretty femmes get their heads chopped off”
- obsoleteTo trim the burnt part of a candle wick.
“The dimness of the light her candle emitted made her turn to it in alarm; but there was no danger of its sudden extinction, it had yet some hours to burn; and that she might not have any greater diffi”
- slangTo snuff out; to extinguish; to put out; to kill.
“Too much of a coward to snuff myself
Guess I'll just have to suffer myself”
“A court yesterday rejected a challenge to the constitutionality of prohibiting same-sex marriage, snuffing hopes for marriage equality proponents to shortcut stalled legislative efforts.”
Formssnuffs(plural) · snuffs(present, singular, third-person) · snuffing(participle, present) · snuffed(participle, past) · snuffed(past)