chaff
UK[tʃɑːf]US[tʃæf]
n
The outer seed coverings and other debris separated from seeds during threshing.
n
Worthless or trivial things; light-hearted teasing or banter.
v
To tease good-naturedly.
Etymology
The word 'chaff' has a straightforward journey from its Proto-Germanic ancestor kaf-, which meant husk or shell. This term passed directly into Old English as 'ceaf', retaining its agricultural meaning of the dry, inedible casing of a seed. The modern spelling 'chaff' emerged in Middle English. The semantic development is a classic metaphor: from the literal, worthless husks separated from valuable grain, the meaning broadened in the 16th century to denote anything trivial or worthless, and later to the light, insubstantial nature of teasing talk.
Analysis
This is a simplex word of Old English origin. The form 'chaff' is a direct descendant of the Old English noun 'ceaf', meaning husk or shell.
Examples
The combine harvester separates the wheat from the chaff.
His speech was entertaining, but much of it was mere chaff with little substance.
The siblings would good-naturedly chaff each other about their childhood habits.