cuff
UK[kʌf]US[kʌf]
n
the end part of a sleeve, where the material of the sleeve is turned back or a separate band is sewn on
n
a hit with the open hand, especially on the head
v
to hit someone with the open hand, especially on the head
v
to put handcuffs on someone
Etymology
the word 'cuff' presents an etymological puzzle, with its origins likely rooted in the low germanic linguistic sphere. its earliest recorded sense in english, from the late middle english period, referred to a blow or slap, a meaning that may have an imitative origin, suggesting the sound of such an impact. from this sense of a hand strike, the word naturally extended to denote the part of a sleeve that encircles the wrist, perhaps by association with the action of striking or the wrist itself being struck. the verb meaning 'to handcuff' is a later, 19th-century american development, a figurative extension from the noun for a band around the wrist, completing its journey from a term for physical impact to one denoting restraint.
Analysis
the word is a simplex. its origin is uncertain but likely imitative or of low germanic origin, functioning as a single lexical unit.
Examples
he buttoned his cuff carefully before the meeting.
the officer gave the suspect a warning cuff on the ear.
the police cuffed the suspect and read him his rights.