Etymograph

English

ruffle

Ruffle comes from Middle English ruffelen.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ruffelen1
  2. Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1606ruffle1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English ruffle
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of King Lear: “The night comes on, and the bleak winds /…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ruffelenWiktionary, English ruffle
  2. Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1606ruffleWiktionary, English ruffle. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of King Lear: “The night comes on, and the bleak winds /…”

Linked words

through Middle English ruffelen

riffle

Today it means

noun Any gathered or curled strip of fabric added as trim or decoration.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “ruffle”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Middle English ruffelen / ruffle

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