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nyaff in British English. (njæf ) noun. Scottish. a small or contemptible person. Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers. Word origin. C19: perhaps imitative of the bark of a small dog.
The earliest known use of the verb nyaff is in the 1800s. OED's earliest evidence for nyaff is from 1808, in a dictionary by John Jamieson, antiquary and philologist. nyaff is an imitative or expressive formation. See etymology.
To talk in a senseless, pert, or frivolous way (Cld. 1880 Jam.), to talk and argue snappishly, esp. of children (Sc. 1808 Jam.); to harp on (about something) (Sh. 1964); of a small dog: to yelp, yap, bark ( Ib .; Fif. c .1850 R. Peattie MS .; Cai. 1907 County of Cai. (Horne) 80, niaff; Ayr. 1964).
Nyaff definition: a small or contemptible person. See examples of NYAFF used in a sentence.
There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun nyaff. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. This word is used in northern English regional dialect, northern Irish English, and Scottish English.
Define nyaff. nyaff synonyms, nyaff pronunciation, nyaff translation, English dictionary definition of nyaff. n Scot a small or contemptible person Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998,...
Nyaff. Sc. 1826 Blackwood's Mag. (Oct.) 583: The barking of curs, from the gruff big bow-wow of the mastiff, down to the nyiff-nyaff and yelp-yelp of the terrier. 3. In pl.: whims, caprices, fussiness of disposition (Sc. 1808 Jam.). Hence niff-naffy, fussy, finicky, fastidious.
