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 Diamond Head — a volcanic tuff cone — is just plain cool. Genevieve Ko, Travel + Leisure, 31 Jan. 2024 Neolithic ax heads were commonly made of materials like flint, volcanic tuff and granite. Christopher Parker, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 July 2023 But roughly 30 kilometers away, deposits of tuff — volcanic ash turned to rock, which often holds zeolite — sit above an aquifer known locally for its sweet and clear water. Leslie Nemo, Discover Magazine, 1 Dec. 2020 About 95 percent are carved from the volcanic tuff, but a few are made from basalt. Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 2 Mar. 2023 Dropped twice then place on a small tuff of grass. Adam Schupak, The Arizona Republic, 13 Feb. 2022 All fossil plants at Wuda tuff have modern living relatives except for this set of rare specimens. Josie Garthwaite, Discover Magazine, 21 Oct. 2012 The site is named Wuda tuff after the district of Mongolia where it was found. Josie Garthwaite, Discover Magazine, 21 Oct. 2012 Zircon crystals from a rhyolite tuff within the Mineral King pendant, Sierra Nevada, California. Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 17 July 2013

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tuff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 29 Mar. 2024.

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