Puffy
/ˈpʌfi/noun
Swollen, bloated, or having a soft, rounded, inflated appearance.
Did you know?Puffy is an English formation from the old sound-symbolic root puff, which imitates a short burst of breath or air—language literally turning exhalation into a visual shape.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰew-
“to swell, puff up”
Old English
OE
puffian
“to blow in puffs; to swell or bulge”
Middle English
ME
puffy
“swollen, full of puffiness”
16th Century
English
puff
“a short blast of breath or air”
Modern English
English
puffy
“swollen, bloated, or soft and rounded in appearance”