chaff
The inedible parts of a grain-producing plantThe inedible parts of a grain-producing plant.
» Old birds are not caught with chaff.
Стреляного воробья на мякине не проведёшь.
Старых птиц на мякину не поймаешь.
Meaning
5 senses(uncountable, usually)The inedible parts of a grain-producing plant.
To separate out the chaff, early cultures tossed baskets of grain into the air and let the wind blow away the lighter chaff.
Spreu, Kaff, Spelze
мяки́наmjakína, пле́велplével, се́чкаséčka
поло́ваpolóva
(uncountable, usually)Straw or hay cut up fine for the food of cattle.
сі́чкаsíčka
(figuratively, uncountable, usually)Any excess or unwanted material, resource, or person; anything worthless.
отбро́сыotbrósy
(uncountable, usually)Light jesting talk; banter; raillery.
(uncountable, usually)Loose material, e.g. small strips of aluminum foil dropped from aircraft, intended to interfere with radar detection.
Düppel
foil in thin strips; ejected into the air as a radar countermeasure
Examples
11 sentencesOld birds are not caught with chaff.
ruСтреляного воробья на мякине не проведёшь.
You really are the chaff of humanity.
Let's separate the wheat from the chaff.
He separated the wheat from the chaff.
deEr hat die Spreu vom Weizen getrennt.
I'm separating the wheat from the chaff.
Translations
9 languagesBy meaning 2
By meaning 2
By meaning 2
Origin
From Middle English chaf, from Old English ċeaf, from Proto-West Germanic *kaf. Cognate wiFrom 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.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: chaffs| Singular | chaff |
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uncountable
Synonyms
6 synonymsWord family
10 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable