chaff

Definition

The inedible parts of a grain-producing plant.

Etymology

From Middle English chaf, from Old English ċeaf, from Proto-West Germanic *kaf. Cognate with Scots caff, Saterland Frisian Sääf, West Frisian tsjêf, Dutch kaf, German Low German Kaff, regional German Kaff.

Example Sentences

• "To separate out the chaff, early cultures tossed baskets of grain into the air and let the wind blow away the lighter chaff."
• "So take the corn and leave the chaff behind."
• "In the passage outside the door, the threshers, who had done their day's work, were stamping the snow off their feet before they came in, - their hair full of chaff."