Definitions for chaff
tʃæf, tʃɑfchaff

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.0 / 1 vote

1. chaff, husk, shuck, stalk, straw, stubblenoun

   material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds

2. chaffverb

   foil in thin strips; ejected into the air as a radar countermeasure

3. kid, chaff, jolly, josh, banterverb

   be silly or tease one another

   "After we relaxed, we just kidded around"

WiktionaryRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. chaffnoun

   The inedible parts of a grain-producing plant.

   To separate out the chaff, early cultures tossed baskets of grain into the air and let the wind blow away the lighter chaff.

2. chaffnoun

   By extension, any excess or unwanted material, resource, or person; anything worthless.

   There are plenty of good websites on the subject, but take care to separate the wheat from the chaff.

3. chaffnoun

   Loose material dropped from aircraft specifically to interfere with radar detection.

4. chaffverb

   To use light, idle language by way of fun or ridicule; to banter.

5. chaffverb

   To make fun of; to turn into ridicule by addressing in ironical or bantering language; to quiz.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. CHAFFnoun

   Etymology: ceaf, Sax. kaf, Dutch.

   1. The husks of corn that are separated by threshing and winnowing.

   We shall be winnow’d with so rough a wind,
   That ev’n our corn shall seem as light as chaff,
   And good from bad find no partition. William Shakespeare, Henry IV.

   Pleasure with instruction should be join’d;
   So take the corn, and leave the chaff behind. Dryden.

   He set before him a sack of wheat, as it had been just threshed out of the sheaf; he then bid him pick out the chaff from among the corn, and lay it aside by itself. Spectator, №. 291.

   2. It is used for any thing worthless.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Chaff

   Chaff (; also UK: ) is the dry, scaly protective casing of the seeds of cereal grains, or similar fine, dry, scaly plant material such as scaly parts of flowers, or finely chopped straw. Chaff is indigestible by humans, but livestock can eat it and in agriculture it is used as livestock fodder, or is a waste material ploughed into the soil or burned.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. chaff

   Chaff generally refers to the husks of corn or other grain separated by winnowing or threshing. It can also metaphorically refer to something considered worthless or insignificant. In a technological context, chaff refers to thin strips of metal, often used to disrupt radar detection.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Chaffnoun

   the glumes or husks of grains and grasses separated from the seed by threshing and winnowing, etc

2. Chaffnoun

   anything of a comparatively light and worthless character; the refuse part of anything

3. Chaffnoun

   straw or hay cut up fine for the food of cattle

4. Chaffnoun

   light jesting talk; banter; raillery

5. Chaffnoun

   the scales or bracts on the receptacle, which subtend each flower in the heads of many Compositae, as the sunflower

6. Chaffverb

   to use light, idle language by way of fun or ridicule; to banter

7. Chaffverb

   to make fun of; to turn into ridicule by addressing in ironical or bantering language; to quiz

8. Etymology: [AC. ceaf; akin to D. kaf, G. kaff.]

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Chaff

   Chaff is the dry, scaly protective casings of the seeds of cereal grain, or similar fine, dry, scaly plant material such as scaly parts of flowers, or finely chopped straw. Chaff is inedible for humans, but livestock can eat it and in agriculture it is used as livestock fodder, or is a waste material ploughed into the soil or burnt.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Chaff

   chaf, n. a general name for the husks of corn or other grain as threshed or winnowed: refuse, or worthless matter: light banter, badinage.—v.t. to banter, or tease, by some raillery.—ns. Chaff′-cut′ter, Chaff′-en′gine, a machine for cutting straw or hay into chaff.—n. and p.adj. Chaff′ing.—adv. Chaff′ingly.—adjs. Chaff′less; Chaff′y. [A.S. ceaf; cf. Dut. kaf.]

Dictionary of Military and Associated TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. chaff

   Radar confusion reflectors, consisting of thin, narrow metallic strips of various lengths and frequency responses, which are used to reflect echoes for confusion purposes. Causes enemy radar guided missiles to lock on to it instead of the real aircraft, ship, or other platform. See also deception; rope.

Etymology and OriginsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Chaff

   A corruption of chafe, to make hot with anger, as heat may be produced by friction.

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce chaff?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say chaff in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of chaff in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of chaff in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of chaff in a Sentence

1. The Hitopadesa:

   To address a judicious remark to a thoughtless man is a mere threshing of chaff.

2. Adlai E. Stevenson II:

   Newspaper editors separate the wheat from the chaff -- and print the chaff.

3. David Garofalo:

   Right now we're trying to separate the wheat from the chaff.

4. The Dhammapada:

   The faults of others are easily perceived, but those of oneself are difficult to perceive; a man winnows his neighbour?s faults like chaff, but his own fault he hides as a cheat hides the false dice from the gamester.

5. Arabic Proverb:

   A friend is one to whom one can pour out all the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keeping what is worth keeping, and, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=chaff
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Chaff
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=chaff
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaff
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chaff
7. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=chaff
8. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=chaff
9. ^ Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms
   https://www.tradoc.army.mil/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/AD1029823-DOD-Dictionary-of-Military-and-Associated-Terms-2017.pdf
10. ^ Etymology and Origins
    https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/54657/pg54657-images.html#:~:text=chaff
11. ^ Usage in printed sources
    https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=chaff