Chaff
/tʃæf/noun
The husks or light refuse separated from grain by threshing and winnowing; by extension, worthless material or nonsense.
Did you know?Chaff comes from a Germanic root tied to the idea of splitting or separating grain, and that same old agricultural world gave English a word that still means “trash” in both farms and arguments.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*kaf-
“Chaff, husks, or light refuse separated from grain”
Old English
OE
ceaf
“Chaff; the husks of grain”
Middle English
ME
chaf
“Chaff; light refuse from threshing”
Modern English
English
chaff
“The husks of grain; worthless matter or empty talk”