snuff 1
(snŭf)v. snuffed, snuff·ing, snuffs
v.tr.1. To inhale (something) audibly through the nose; sniff.
2. To sense or examine by smelling; sniff at.
v.intr. To sniff; inhale.
n. The act of snuffing or the sound produced by it; a snuffle.
[Middle English snoffen, to snuff a candle, sniffle, probably from snoffe, snuff; see snuff2.]
snuff 2
(snŭf)n. The charred portion of a candlewick.
tr.v. snuffed,
snuff·ing,
snuffs 1. To extinguish: snuffed out the candles.
2. To put a sudden end to: lives that were snuffed out by car accidents.
3. Slang To kill; murder.
4. To cut off the charred portion of (a candlewick).
[Middle English snoffe, possibly of Low German origin.]
snuff 3
(snŭf)n.1. a. A preparation of finely pulverized tobacco that can be drawn up into the nostrils by inhaling. Also called smokeless tobacco.
b. The quantity of this tobacco that is inhaled at a single time; a pinch.
3. A powdery substance, such as a medicine, taken by inhaling.
intr.v. snuffed,
snuff·ing,
snuffs To use or inhale snuff.
Idiom: up to snuff Informal 1. Normal in health.
2. Up to standard; adequate.
[Dutch snuf, short for snuftabak : Dutch snuffen, to sniff; see snuffle + tabak, tobacco.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.