Meaning
5 senses(informal)A (generally small) argument or disagreement; a petty quarrel, a spat.
ра́спряrásprja, размо́лвкаrazmólvka, ссо́раssóra
a quarrel about petty points
(archaic, informal)A brief outburst or period of bad temper; a snit; also (rare) any brief outburst (for example, of laughter).
(archaic, countable, informal, obsolete, slang)A small draught or sip of liquor (especially diluted or poor quality liquor) or punch.
(archaic, informal, obsolete, slang, uncountable)Liquor, especially diluted or poor quality liquor.
(archaic, informal, obsolete, rare, slang)The way in which one's body or hair is decked out or dressed.
Examples
5 sentencesMary had a tiff with her boyfriend.
We had a little tiff.
Ми трохи погиркалися. — deniko
I had a tiff with my boyfriend.
What if it was just a tiff between two friends?
I expected him to come back. It was just a slight tiff.
Translations
3 languagesBy meaning 1
Origin
The origin of the noun is unknown; it is possibly originally dialectal and may be onomatopThe origin of the noun is unknown; it is possibly originally dialectal and may be onomatopoeic, representing the sound of a small puff of air or gas. The verb is derived from the noun.
The origin of the noun is unknown; it may be onomatopoeic, representing the sound of liquor being sipped. The verb is derived from the noun.
From Middle English tiffen, tif, tiffe (“to adorn, dress up; to arrange (a hairstyle); to disguise”), from Old French tifer, tiffer (“to adorn, dress up”) (modern French attifer (“to deck out”)), from Frankish *tipfōn, *tippōn (“to decorate”), possibly related to Proto-Germanic *tuppaz (“plait of hair, tuft; summit, top”) (see the further etymology at that entry).
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