snuff

Meaning

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) Finely ground or pulverized tobacco (or other plant derivative) intended for use by being sniffed or snorted into the nose.
2. (countable, uncountable) Fine-ground or minced tobacco, dry or moistened, intended for use by placing a pinch behind the lip or beneath the tongue.
3. (countable, uncountable) A snort or sniff of fine-ground, powdered, or pulverized tobacco.
4. (countable, uncountable) The act of briskly inhaling by the nose; a sniff, a snort.
5. (countable, uncountable) Resentment or skepticism expressed by quickly drawing air through the nose; snuffling; sniffling.
6. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) Snot, mucus.
7. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) Smell, scent, odour.

Verb

1. To inhale through the nose.
2. To turn up the nose and inhale air, as an expression of contempt; hence, to take offence.
3. (Ireland, UK, obsolete, slang, transitive) To drug (a person) with a mixture of snuff and beer.

Verb

1. (countable, informal, uncountable) To extinguish a candle or oil-lamp flame by covering the burning end of the wick until the flame is suffocated.
2. (obsolete) To trim the burnt part of a candle wick.
3. (slang) To snuff out; to extinguish; to put out; to kill.

Synonyms

tobacco

sniff

snort

sternutatory

snuffle

snuff-brown

put out

smell

👃

quench

snot

snuff out

nose

👃

take

cigarette

🚬

chewing tobacco

scent

chukker-brown

extinguish

mummy-brown

obliterate

pinch

pry

rappee

rub

rub out

slake

sleuth

snoop

switch off

thief

turn off

wipe out

get scent of

take snuff

wich

candle-end

mucosity

naccaboy

smoking tobacco

obstruction of the nose

stoppage in the nose

candle-snuff

snus

nasal snuff

delete

snoose

blow out

breathe in

burn out

cigarettes

Translations

tabac à priser

Schnupftabak

priser

rapé

tabacco da fiuto

snuff

tabac

schnüffeln

rapè

schnupfen

raffreddore

🥶

snuif

schnuppern

👃

شمّ

Pronounced as (IPA)

/snʌf/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: -

Cognate with Dutch: snuiven

Cognate with Middle Low German: snûve

Cognate with German: Schnupfen

Cognate with Dutch: snuffen

Cognate with German: schnupf

Cognate with French: schnouff

Inherited from Middle English: snoffe

Cognate with Middle Dutch: snuf

Cognate with Dutch: sneuvelen

Inherited from Middle English: snuffen

In summary

Late Middle English, from Middle Dutch snuffen (“to snuff, sniff, snuffle”).
Related to Dutch snuiven (“to sniff”), Middle Low German snûve (“pose, head-cold”), German Schnupfen (“head-cold”). The noun is probably from Dutch snuf (“snuff”), an abbreviation of snuftabak, snuiftabak (“snuff”). Related to sniff (compare Dutch snuffen (“snuff”), German schnupf (“snuff”), French schnouff (“junk”)).