English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tʌf/
• Homophone: tough

Noun

tuff ‎(countable and uncountable, plural tuffs)

1. (petrology) A light porous rock, now especially a rock composed of compacted volcanic ash varying in size from fine sand to coarse gravel.
   • 2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society 2011, p. 9n:

     This is what makes an ignimbrite; the general term for this kind of volcaniclastic rock is ‘tuff’.

Related terms

• tufflava

Translations

Etymology 2

Adjective

tuff ‎(comparative tuffer, superlative tuffest)

1. Eye dialect spelling of tough.
   • 1980, Joy Wilt Berry, Ernie Hergenroeder, Tuff Stuff: A Children's Book about Trauma, Educational Products Division, Word, Inc., ISBN 9780849981364:

     Tuff Stuff teaches that while life may go smoothly most of the time, ...

   • 2000, Margaret Cavendish, “Preface to the Reader (1655)”, in Sylvia Bowerbank, Sara Mendelson, editor, Paper Bodies, ISBN 9781551111735, page 139:

     … yet never to make us so strong as the strongest of Men, whose Sinnews are tuffer, and Bones stronger, and Joints closer, and Flesh firmer, than ours are …

   • 2003, Ronald Carter, The Routledge Guide to Modern English Writing (Language Arts), Routledge, ISBN 9780415286367, page 96:

     It was rave reviewed in the Caribbean Times as 'the ruffest, tuffest and the boo-yacka of all modern gangster novels'.

   • 2006, Paige Hemmis, The Tuff Chix Guide to Easy Home Improvement, Penguin, ISBN 9780452287617, page 36:

     TUFF METER

   • 2010 January 20, Robert J. Elisberg, “CES 2020 -- Ohm on the Range”, in Huffington Post, retrieved 2012-09-14:

     Its Tuff-n-Tiny USB flash drive is about the size of a thumbnail. … The company insists that the "tuff" part of the name is well-earned for being waterproof, dustproof and you can drive a car over it.

   • 2011, Kristian Pope, Tuff Stuff Professional Wrestling Field Guide: Legend and Lore, Krause Publications, ISBN 9781440228100:

     Tuff Stuff Professional Wrestling

References

• Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia, tuff