Ruff
early 16th century (first used denoting a frill around a sleeve): probably from a variant of rough.
wiktionary
Clipping of ruffle, or possibly from rough.
Possibly from rough.
From Old French roffle, rouffle (earlier romfle, ronfle), or from Italian ronfa(“card game similar to whist”); these words are possibly from Old French triomphe(“a triumph, victory”), Italian trionfo(“triumph; trump card”), [1] from Latin triumphus(“hymn to Bacchus; celebration, triumph”), ultimately from Ancient Greek θρῐ́ᾰμβος(thríambos, “hymn to Dionysius, thriambus”). The verb is derived from the noun. Doublet of trump.
Onomatopoeic.
ruff ( comparative ruffer, superlative ruffest)
etymonline
ruff (n.1)
kind of large band or frill, stiffly starched, 1520s, originally in reference to sleeves (of collars, from 1550s), probably a shortened form of ruffle (n.). They were especially common in the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Extended to distinctive sets of feathers on the necks of birds from 1690s.
ruff (v.)
in cards, "trump when unable to follow suit," 1760, from the card game ruff (see ruff (n.2)). Related: Ruffed; ruffing.
ruff (n.2)
in card-playing, "act of trumping when a player has no cards of the suit led," by 1856, from ruff (v.) "trump when unable to follow suit" (1760), from the name of the old game of ruff (1580s), from French roffle, earlier romfle (early 15c.), from Italian ronfa, which is perhaps a corruption of trionfo "triumph" (from French; compare trump (n.1)). The old game, a predecessor of whist, was in vogue c. 1590-1630.
