See Also: ruff(dictionary)
ruff(5)(dictionary)
ruff(4)(dictionary)
ruff(3)(dictionary)
ruff(2)(dictionary)
ruff(1)(dictionary)
ruff(medicine)
ruff-coat(dictionary)
pupillary ruff(medicine)
Persistent(medicine)

ruff(4) (iou) and persistent (iou)


ruff(4) (iou)



ruff verb1 trans. M16.
[Perh. from RUFF noun1. Cf. RUFFLE verb1.]
Form (material etc.) into a ruff or ruffs; provide with a ruff or ruffs. Chiefly as RUFFED adjective. Now rare. M16.
= RUFFLE verb1 2. Long obsolete exc. Scot. L16.
Falconry. Of a hawk: strike at without securing (a quarry). L16-M17.

persistent (iou)



persistent adjective. E19.
[from PERSISTENCE or PERSIST: see -ENT.]
Zoology & Botany. Of a part of an animal or plant (as a horn, a leaf, a calyx, etc.): remaining attached; not falling off. Opp. DECIDUOUS, CADUCOUS. E19.
Persisting in an action etc.; having or characterized by persistency. M19.
H. James The good lady continued, with a persistent candour. Rosemary Manning She succumbed to his persistent wooing. W. Raeper A tireless and persistent campaigner for women's Education.
Enduring. M19.
A. C. Boult A persistent cough refused to yield to treatment. A. Sillitoe The persistent rain of one autumn.
Of an action: continuous; constantly repeated. M19.
I. Murdoch There were the persistent rumours about German arms. Rachel Anderson My dog, keeping up her persistent whine by the door.
Geology. Of a stratum: extending continuously over the whole area occupied by the formation. M19.
Ecology. Of a chemical, or (occas.) radioactivity: remaining within the environment for a long time after its introduction. M20.
persistently adverb M19.