Tuffet
/ˈtʌfɪt/noun
A small tuft or clump of grass, or a low cushioned seat or footstool.
Did you know?In the nursery rhyme, “tuffet” is ambiguous: early meanings point to a tuft or grassy clump, while the familiar footstool sense appears later.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic period
Germanic
*tuft- / *tuff-
“A projecting clump or tuft; the reconstructed Germanic source associated with later tuft-words”
Middle English
Middle English
toft / tuft
“A tuft, clump, or small raised patch of vegetation”
16th Century
English
tuffet
“A small tuft or clump, formed with the diminutive suffix -et”
18th Century
English
tuffet
“A small mound or tuft of grass”
19th Century
English
tuffet
“A low seat, stool, or cushion”
Modern English
English
tuffet
“A small grassy clump or a low upholstered seat; famously used in “Little Miss Muffet””