Dandruff
noun, verb ·Uncommon ·College level
Definitions
- 1 scaly white dead skin flakes from the human scalp; Pityriasis capitis uncountable, usually
"Dandruff is on my collar again."
- 2 loose scales shed from the scalp wordnet
- 3 a condition in which white scales of dead skin are shed by the scalp wordnet
- 1 To fall or cover with white flakes, like dandruff.
"The toaster is broken and salt is dandruffing my wool sweater."
Example
More examples"Warning: the lifeforms in this universe are surrounded by 10% dandruff. Would you like to set up a new one?"
Etymology
The word is first attested in 1545; the first element is obscure, but compare Yorkshire dialect, dander (skin scurf). The second element derives from a Northumbrian or East Anglian term huff or hruff, hurf (“scab”), from Old Norse hrufa. Compare Dutch roof, Luxembourgish Roff. Related with Proto-Germanic *hreubaz, *hreufaz (“rough, scabby”), source of Old English hrēofla (“leprosy, leper”). More at reef (etymology 3).
Related phrases
More for "dandruff"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.