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 a obsolete : 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 material
4 a : literary or artistic production b : writing, discourse, talk, or ideas of little value : trash
5 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