puff

Definition

A sharp exhalation of a small amount of breath through the mouth.

Etymology

From Middle English puff, puf, from Old English pyf (“a blast of wind, puff”), from Proto-West Germanic *puf(f)- (“to blow, puff”), of imitative origin. Cognate with Dutch puf (“puff, wind, fart”), Middle Low German puf, pof (“puff”).

Example Sentences

• "out of puff"
• "puff of smoke"
• "to every puff of wind a slave"