duff.

1. A layer of partly decomposed leaves and other organic material on a forest floor.

2. Unsatisfactory, ineffective, or faulty.

3. A boiled or steamed pudding, often containing fruit.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• forest duff
• dry duff

On the page

Forest duff muffled the sound of their steps.

Dry duff smoldered beneath the blackened log.

Usage notes

Primary category: environment. Forms: Usually mass noun. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.