the.com/stuff
The vague noun we deploy when the brain refuses to fetch the real word.
means A catch-all term for material, objects, possessions, or undefined matter — the linguistic equivalent of pointing vaguely at a pile.
from From Old French 'estoffe,' meaning fabric, furniture, or provisions — the raw material you'd stock a household or an army with. That sense traces back to the verb 'estoffer,' to furnish or equip, possibly from a Germanic root. English borrowed it in the medieval period as 'stuffe,' first meaning quilted padding and military equipment, then drifting outward until it could mean absolutely anything you couldn't be bothered to name.
- old norse
- Root means to plug or cram a hole shut.
- military origin
- Once meant equipment and supplies for armies.
- infinite reach
- Names everything from atoms to emotional baggage.
- grammar cheat
- Works as noun and verb without changing form.
stuff magazine — british men's magazine founded in 1996, sold over 750,000 copies at its peak
stuff tv — new zealand television channel launched in 2000, focused on technology and gadgets
stuffed animal — plush toys, with the oldest known being a mouse from 1500s egypt