noun
tuff
tuhf
noun
1
A light, porous rock formed from compacted volcanic ash.
"The ancient city was carved directly into soft volcanic tuff."
How to Use Tuff
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA soft rock made from hardened volcanic ash.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "tough" (strong) — they sound identical but mean completely different things.
Easily confused with
tough →
tufa
Word Forms
tuffs plural, Tuffs plural
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The ancient city was carved directly into soft volcanic _____.
Etymology
From French tuf, from Italian tufo, from Latin tofus — a doublet of the related geology term "tufa."