Main Entry:

¹stuff

Pronunciation:

\ˈstəf\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English, from Anglo-French estuffes goods, from estuffer to fill in (with rubble), furnish, equip, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German stopfōn to stop up, from Vulgar Latin *stuppare — more at stop

Date:

14th century

1: materials, supplies, or equipment used in various activities: as aobsolete : military baggage b: personal property 2: material to be manufactured, wrought, or used in construction <clear half-inch pine stuff — Emily Holt>3: a finished textile suitable for clothing ; especially : wool or worsted material4 a: literary or artistic production b: writing, discourse, talk, or ideas of little value : trash5 a: an unspecified material substance or aggregate of matter <volcanic rock is curious stuff> b: something (as a drug or food) consumed or introduced into the body by humans c: a matter to be considered <the truth was heady stuff> <long-term policy stuff> d: a group or scattering of miscellaneous objects or articles <pick that stuff up off the floor> ; also : nonphysical unspecified material <conservation and…all kinds of good stuff — Eric Korn>6 a: fundamental material : substance <the stuff of greatness> b: subject matter <a teacher who knows her stuff>7: special knowledge or capability <showing their stuff>8 a: spin imparted to a thrown or hit ball to make it curve or change course b: the movement of a baseball pitch out of its apparent line of flight : the liveliness of a pitch <greatest pitcher of my time…had tremendous stuff — Ted Williams>9: dunk shot

— stuff·less adjective