Taff
/tæf/noun
An informal, often derogatory British term for a Welsh person.
Did you know?Taff ultimately comes through Welsh Dafydd, the Welsh form of David, whose biblical name is traditionally interpreted as meaning “beloved.”
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
דָּוִד (Dāwīḏ)
“David, a personal name traditionally interpreted as “beloved””
Late Antiquity
Greek
Dauid
“The Greek form used for the biblical name David”
Late Latin
Latin
David
“The Latin biblical personal name”
Middle Welsh
Welsh
Dafydd
“The Welsh form of David”
Early Modern Welsh
Welsh
Taffy
“A familiar form of Dafydd, used especially in English descriptions of Welsh people”
Modern English
English
taff
“An informal, commonly disparaging term for a Welsh person”