Usually means: Collar, often elaborate, worn historically.
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We found 36 dictionaries that define the word ruff:

General (25 matching dictionaries)
  1. ruff: Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
  2. ruff: Merriam-Webster
  3. ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff: Oxford Learner's Dictionaries
  4. ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff: American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
  5. ruff: Collins English Dictionary
  6. ruff: Vocabulary.com
  7. Ruff, ruff: Wordnik
  8. ruff: Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
  9. ruff: Wiktionary
  10. ruff: Webster's New World College Dictionary, 4th Ed.
  11. ruff: The Wordsmyth English Dictionary-Thesaurus
  12. ruff: Infoplease Dictionary
  13. Ruff, ruff: Dictionary.com
  14. ruff (n.): Online Etymology Dictionary
  15. Ruff (album), Ruff (bird), Ruff (cards), Ruff (clothing), Ruff (disambiguation), Ruff (surname), Ruff: Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
  16. Ruff: Online Plain Text English Dictionary
  17. ruff: Webster's Revised Unabridged, 1913 Edition
  18. ruff: Rhymezone
  19. Ruff: AllWords.com Multi-Lingual Dictionary
  20. ruff: Webster's 1828 Dictionary
  21. ruff: FreeDictionary.org
  22. ruff: Mnemonic Dictionary
  23. ruff: TheFreeDictionary.com

Art (1 matching dictionary)
  1. Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary (No longer online)

Computing (1 matching dictionary)
  1. Ruff (disambiguation), ruff: Encyclopedia

Medicine (1 matching dictionary)
  1. online medical dictionary (No longer online)

Miscellaneous (2 matching dictionaries)
  1. baby names list (No longer online)
  2. RUFF: Acronym Finder

Science (1 matching dictionary)
  1. Bird On! (No longer online)

Slang (2 matching dictionaries)
  1. ruff: Green’s Dictionary of Slang
  2. ruff: Urban Dictionary

Sports (2 matching dictionaries)
  1. Cat Terms (No longer online)
  2. Ruff: Fifthchair Bridge

Tech (1 matching dictionary)
  1. FASHION AND DESIGN (No longer online)

(Note: See ruffed as well.)

Definitions from Wiktionary (
)
American English Definition British English Definition
noun:  A circular frill or ruffle on a garment, especially a starched, fluted frill at the neck in Elizabethan and Jacobean England (1560s–1620s).
noun:  Anything formed with plaits or flutings like a frill.
noun:  Senses relating to animals.
noun:  Philomachus pugnax (syn. Calidris pugnax), a gregarious, medium-sized wading bird of Eurasia; specifically, a male of the species which develops a distinctive ruff of feathers and ear tufts during mating season (the female is called a reeve).
noun:  (ornithology) A set of lengthened or otherwise modified feathers on or around the neck of a bird.
noun:  (zoology) A collar of lengthened or distinctively coloured fur on or around the neck of an animal.
noun:  (engineering) A collar on a shaft or other piece to prevent endwise motion.
noun:  (obsolete) An exhibition of haughtiness or pride.
noun:  (obsolete) Tumultuous or wanton conduct or procedure.
verb:  (transitive) To shape (fabric, etc.) into a ruff; to adorn (a garment, etc.) with a ruff.
verb:  (transitive, falconry) Of a falcon, hawk, etc.: to hit (the prey) without fixing or grabbing hold of it.
verb:  (rare, transitive) To ruffle; to disorder.
verb:  (obsolete, transitive) Of a bird: to ruffle its feathers.
verb:  (obsolete, transitive) To boast, to brag.
verb:  (obsolete, intransitive) To speak in a loud and domineering manner; to bluster, to swagger.
noun:  A fish of species Arripis georgianus, found in cool waters off the southern coast of Australia
noun:  (obsolete) A bottom-dwelling carnivorous fish of the family Sparidae found in temperate and tropical waters; a porgy or sea bream.
verb:  (ambitransitive) To play a trump card to a trick when unable to follow suit (that is, when unable to play a card of the same suit as the previous or leading card).
verb:  (transitive) Especially in the form ruff out: to defeat (a card, etc.) by ruffing, thus establishing the master card in the suit led.
noun:  An instance of ruffing, or an opportunity to ruff, when unable to follow suit.
noun:  (obsolete) A game similar to whist and its predecessor.
noun:  (music, often military) A low, vibrating beat of a drum, quieter than a roll; a ruffle.
verb:  (transitive) To beat a ruff or ruffle, as on a drum.
verb:  (intransitive) Of a drum, etc.: to have a ruff or ruffle beaten on it.
noun:  Alternative spelling of ruffe: a small freshwater fish of the genus Gymnocephalus; specifically a Eurasian ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernua or Gymnocephalus cernuus) which has spiny fins; the pope. [Gymnocephalus cernua, a small Eurasian freshwater fish.]
adjective:  (colloquial or obsolete) Alternative spelling of rough. [Not smooth; uneven.]

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