snuff

Meanings

Noun

• Finely ground or pulverized tobacco intended for use by being sniffed or snorted into the nose.
• Fine-ground or minced tobacco, dry or moistened, intended for use by placing a pinch behind the lip or beneath the tongue; see also snus.
• A snort or sniff of fine-ground, powdered, or pulverized tobacco.
• The act of briskly inhaling by the nose; a sniff, a snort.
• Resentment or skepticism expressed by quickly drawing air through the nose; snuffling; sniffling.
• Snot, mucus.
• Smell, scent, odour.
• The burning part of a candle wick, or the black, burnt remains of a wick (which must be periodically removed).
• Leavings in a glass after drinking; heeltaps.
• A murder.
• A form of pornographic film which involves someone actually being murdered.

Verb

• To inhale through the nose.
• To turn up the nose and inhale air, as an expression of contempt; hence, to take offence.
• To extinguish a candle or oil-lamp flame by covering the burning end of the wick until the flame is suffocated.
• To trim the burnt part of a candle wick.
• To snuff out; to extinguish; to put out; to kill.

Origin

• From Dutch snuffen, related to Dutch snuiven, Middle Low German snûve, German Schnupfen. The noun is probably from Dutch snuf, an abbreviation of snuftabak, snuiftabak. Related to sniff (compare Dutch snuffen ("snuff"), German schnupf ("snuff"), French schnouff ("junk")).
• From Middle English snoffe, snuffe, of uncertain origin. Compare Middle Dutch snuf, snof, Dutch sneuvelen.
• From Middle English snuffen, snoffen, from the noun (see Etymology 2 above).