Chaff, n.
Etymology: [AC. ceaf; akin to D. kaf, G. kaff.]
1. The glumes or husks of grains and grasses separated from the seed by threshing and winnowing, etc. So take the corn and leave the chaff behind. Dryden. Old birds are not caught with caff. Old Proverb.
2. Anything of a comparatively light and worthless character; the refuse part of anything. The chaff and ruin of the times. Shak.
3. Straw or hay cut up fine for the food of cattle. By adding chaff to his corn, the horse must take more time to eat it. In this way chaff is very useful. Ywatt.
4. Light jesting talk; banter; raillery.
2 more senses
5. (Bot.)
The scales or bracts on the receptacle, which subtend each flower in the heads of many Compositæ, as the sunflower. Gray. Chaff cutter, a machine for cutting, up straw, etc., into "chaff" for the use of cattle.
2 other Webster entries under this spelling
Chaff, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Chaffed; p. pr. & vb. n. Chaffing.]
To use light, idle lagnguage by way of fun or ridicule; to banter.
Chaff, v. t.
To make fun of; to turn into ridicule by addressing in ironical or bantering language; to quiz. Morgan saw that his master was chaffing him. Thackeray. A dozen honest fellows . . . chaffed each other about their sweethearts. C. Kingsley.