tuff

noun

: a rock composed of the finer kinds of volcanic detritus usually fused together by heat
tuffaceous adjective

Examples of tuff in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The collection also includes a gamelan and other musical instruments, a 19th-century star calendar created to predict the likely destiny of a person born on a certain day, and a duo of 17th-century celestial royal maidens carved from pink volcanic tuff stone. Ashlea Halpern, TIME, 25 July 2024 The original tuff arches carried the Marcia across a steep ravine. David Laskin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2024 The mixture slowly cooled and fused into a tuff of rhyolite. Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024 Diamond Head — a volcanic tuff cone — is just plain cool. Genevieve Ko, Travel + Leisure, 31 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tuff 

Word History

Etymology

earlier tuph, tuft porous rock, from Middle French tuf, from Old Italian tufo

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tuff was in 1815

Dictionary Entries Near tuff

Cite this Entry

“Tuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tuff. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on tuff

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!