ruffelen

to disturb smoothness or order

1 / 1

A woman pushes her spread fingertips across a smooth cotton tablecloth, gathering the fabric into conspicuous small wrinkles directly ahead of her hand while the surrounding cloth remains flat.

verb / noun

ruffle

RUF-ul/ˈrʌfl/

A disturbance that breaks a smooth arrangement into folds or irregularities.

Etymology

ruffleMiddle Englishto disturb smoothness or order

Middle English ruffelen already meant disturbing smoothness or order, the idea retained in wrinkling fabric or disarranging hair and feathers. Its deeper origin and relationship to similar foreign words remain uncertain.

Full entry

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ruffle