Definition of chiff
chiffs
: the initial sound made by air leaving the mouth of a wind instrument (such as an organ flue pipe or a flute) at the attack (see 2attack 5) of a note The chiff is a sudden, short-lived burst of upper harmonics that occurs whenever an organ key is depressed and a note is sounded. — Joel Naumann and James D. Wagoner, Analog Electronic Music Techniques, 1985 —called also articulation
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Origin and Etymology of chiff
imitative
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