ruff¹ / rəf/ • n. 1. a projecting starched frill worn around the neck. 2. a projecting or conspicuously colored ring of feathers or hair around the neck of a bird or mammal. 3. (pl. same or ruffs ) a northern Eurasian wading bird (Philomachus pugnax) of the sandpiper family, the male of which has a large variously colored ruff and ear tufts in the breeding season, used in display. The female is called a reeve.DERIVATIVES: ruffed adj.ruff² • n. 1. an edible marine fish (Arripis georgianus, family Arripidae) of Australian inshore waters that is related to the Australian salmon. Also called roughy in Australia. 2. variant spelling of ruffe.ruff³ • v. [intr.] (in bridge, whist, and similar card games) play a trump in a trick that was led in a different suit. ∎  [tr.] play a trump on (a card in another suit).• n. an act of ruffing or opportunity to ruff.ruff⁴ • n. Mus. one of the basic patterns (rudiments) of drumming, consisting of a single note preceded by either two grace notes played with the other stick (double-stroke ruff or drag) or three grace notes played with alternating sticks (four-stroke ruff).

ruff Bird of the sandpiper family (Scolopacidae). The male is noted for a collar of long feathers about its neck, and for its courtship performances. The female is called a reeve. The ruff migrates across n Europe and n Asia to Africa and India. Species Philomachus pugnax.

ruff3 †former card-game XVI; kind of trump at cards XVII; (from the vb.) act of trumping XIX. — OF. ro(u)ffle, earlier ronfle, romfle (corr. to It. ronfa), poss. alt. of triomphe (It. trionfo) TRUMP2.
Hence vb. XVI.

ruff4 male of the sandpiper, distinguished in the breeding-season by a ruff. XVII. transf. use of RUFF2.

ruff2 †ruffle on a garment; article of neckwear consisting of linen, etc. starched in folds. XVI. poss. sb. use of ruff, ROUGH.