"doffer" meaning in English

See doffer in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Forms: doffers [plural]
Etymology: Etymology tree English doff Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzijos Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English doffer From doff + -er. Etymology templates: {{ety|en|:af|doff|-er<id:agent noun>|text=+|tree=1}} Etymology tree English doff Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzijos Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English doffer [Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from", "terms" : [ { "id" : "agent noun", "children" : [ { "keyword_abbrev" : "nom.", "keyword_label" : "Nominalization of", "terms" : [ { "id" : "adjective", "children" : [ { "terms" : [ { "id" : "adjective", "children" : [ { "keyword_abbrev" : "der.", "keyword_label" : "Derived from", "terms" : [ { "id" : "suffix", "children" : [ ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Proto-Indo-European", "term" : "*-yós", "lang" : "ine-pro" } ], "keyword" : "derived" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Proto-Italic", "term" : "*-āzijos", "lang" : "itc-pro" } ], "keyword_label" : "Inherited from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Latin", "term" : "-ārius", "lang" : "la" } ], "keyword" : "nominalization" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Latin", "term" : "-ārius", "lang" : "la" } ], "keyword" : "bor" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Proto-Germanic", "term" : "*-ārijaz", "lang" : "gem-pro" } ], "keyword_label" : "Inherited from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Proto-West Germanic", "term" : "*-ārī", "lang" : "gmw-pro" } ], "keyword_label" : "Inherited from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Old English", "term" : "-ere", "lang" : "ang" } ], "keyword_label" : "Inherited from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Middle English", "term" : "-ere", "lang" : "enm" } ], "keyword_label" : "Inherited from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "English", "term" : "-er", "lang" : "en" } ], "keyword_label" : "From", "is_group" : true, "keyword" : "affix" } ], "lang_name" : "English", "term" : "doffer", "status" : "ok", "lang" : "en" }" data-lang="en" data-title="doffer"> From doff + -er. Head templates: {{en-noun}} doffer (plural doffers)
  1. (textile manufacturing) In a carding machine, a device such as a revolving cylinder or a vibrating bar with teeth, that doffs, that is to say strips off, the carded cotton or other fiber from the cards; or a hand tool for the same function in smaller machines or in manual carding.
    Sense id: en-doffer-en-noun-R3upfLLV Categories (other): Manufacturing, English entries referencing missing etymons, English entries with etymology texts, English entries with etymology trees, English entries with incorrect language header, English terms suffixed with -er (agent noun), Pages using etymon with no ID, Pages with 2 entries, Pages with entries, Pages with etymology trees Disambiguation of English entries referencing missing etymons: 78 22 Disambiguation of English entries with etymology texts: 77 23 Disambiguation of English entries with etymology trees: 77 23 Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 80 20 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -er (agent noun): 89 11 Disambiguation of Pages using etymon with no ID: 79 21 Disambiguation of Pages with 2 entries: 21 22 42 15 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 22 24 44 10 Disambiguation of Pages with etymology trees: 78 22
  2. A worker who replaces full bobbins by empty ones on the throstle or ring frames. The job was often done by children.
    Sense id: en-doffer-en-noun-1QBNV1gf
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: doffer shaft, ring doffer Related terms: doffing comb

Inflected forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "doffer shaft"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "ring doffer"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "doff",
        "4": "-er<id:agent noun>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish doff\nProto-Indo-European *-yósder.\nProto-Italic *-āzijos\nLatin -āriusnom.\nLatin -āriusbor.\nProto-Germanic *-ārijaz\nProto-West Germanic *-ārī\nOld English -ere\nMiddle English -ere\nEnglish -er\nEnglish doffer\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"agent noun\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"nom.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Nominalization of\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"adjective\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"adjective\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"suffix\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-yós\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*-āzijos\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"-ārius\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"nominalization\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"-ārius\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-ārijaz\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-ārī\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-ere\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-ere\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-er\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"doffer\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"doffer\">\nFrom doff + -er.",
      "name": "ety"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Etymology tree\nEnglish doff\nProto-Indo-European *-yósder.\nProto-Italic *-āzijos\nLatin -āriusnom.\nLatin -āriusbor.\nProto-Germanic *-ārijaz\nProto-West Germanic *-ārī\nOld English -ere\nMiddle English -ere\nEnglish -er\nEnglish doffer\nFrom doff + -er.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "doffers",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "doffer (plural doffers)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "doffing comb"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Manufacturing",
          "orig": "en:Manufacturing",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "78 22",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries referencing missing etymons",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "77 23",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with etymology texts",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "77 23",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with etymology trees",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "80 20",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "89 11",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -er (agent noun)",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "79 21",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages using etymon with no ID",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "21 22 42 15",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 2 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "22 24 44 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "78 22",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with etymology trees",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "In a carding machine, a device such as a revolving cylinder or a vibrating bar with teeth, that doffs, that is to say strips off, the carded cotton or other fiber from the cards; or a hand tool for the same function in smaller machines or in manual carding."
      ],
      "id": "en-doffer-en-noun-R3upfLLV",
      "links": [
        [
          "manufacturing",
          "manufacturing#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "carding machine",
          "carding machine"
        ],
        [
          "device",
          "device"
        ],
        [
          "cylinder",
          "cylinder"
        ],
        [
          "teeth",
          "teeth"
        ],
        [
          "doff",
          "doff"
        ],
        [
          "strips off",
          "strip off"
        ],
        [
          "cotton",
          "cotton"
        ],
        [
          "card",
          "card"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "textile manufacturing",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(textile manufacturing) In a carding machine, a device such as a revolving cylinder or a vibrating bar with teeth, that doffs, that is to say strips off, the carded cotton or other fiber from the cards; or a hand tool for the same function in smaller machines or in manual carding."
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              96,
              102
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1907, Margaret McMillan, Labour and Childhood, The Child-Hand To-Day:",
          "text": "It has more varied exercises too than has the hand of the child who enters a mill. For though a doffer or factory child does use his hand all day long, it is but a very small group of muscles that is brought into activity.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A worker who replaces full bobbins by empty ones on the throstle or ring frames. The job was often done by children."
      ],
      "id": "en-doffer-en-noun-1QBNV1gf",
      "links": [
        [
          "bobbin",
          "bobbin"
        ],
        [
          "throstle",
          "throstle"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "doffer"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries referencing missing etymons",
    "English entries with etymology texts",
    "English entries with etymology trees",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms suffixed with -er (agent noun)",
    "Pages using etymon with no ID",
    "Pages with 2 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Pages with etymology trees",
    "nl:Male animals"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "doffer shaft"
    },
    {
      "word": "ring doffer"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "doff",
        "4": "-er<id:agent noun>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish doff\nProto-Indo-European *-yósder.\nProto-Italic *-āzijos\nLatin -āriusnom.\nLatin -āriusbor.\nProto-Germanic *-ārijaz\nProto-West Germanic *-ārī\nOld English -ere\nMiddle English -ere\nEnglish -er\nEnglish doffer\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"agent noun\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"nom.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Nominalization of\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"adjective\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"adjective\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"suffix\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-yós\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*-āzijos\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"-ārius\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"nominalization\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"-ārius\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-ārijaz\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-ārī\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-ere\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-ere\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-er\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"doffer\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"doffer\">\nFrom doff + -er.",
      "name": "ety"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Etymology tree\nEnglish doff\nProto-Indo-European *-yósder.\nProto-Italic *-āzijos\nLatin -āriusnom.\nLatin -āriusbor.\nProto-Germanic *-ārijaz\nProto-West Germanic *-ārī\nOld English -ere\nMiddle English -ere\nEnglish -er\nEnglish doffer\nFrom doff + -er.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "doffers",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "doffer (plural doffers)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "doffing comb"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Manufacturing"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "In a carding machine, a device such as a revolving cylinder or a vibrating bar with teeth, that doffs, that is to say strips off, the carded cotton or other fiber from the cards; or a hand tool for the same function in smaller machines or in manual carding."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "manufacturing",
          "manufacturing#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "carding machine",
          "carding machine"
        ],
        [
          "device",
          "device"
        ],
        [
          "cylinder",
          "cylinder"
        ],
        [
          "teeth",
          "teeth"
        ],
        [
          "doff",
          "doff"
        ],
        [
          "strips off",
          "strip off"
        ],
        [
          "cotton",
          "cotton"
        ],
        [
          "card",
          "card"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "textile manufacturing",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(textile manufacturing) In a carding machine, a device such as a revolving cylinder or a vibrating bar with teeth, that doffs, that is to say strips off, the carded cotton or other fiber from the cards; or a hand tool for the same function in smaller machines or in manual carding."
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              96,
              102
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1907, Margaret McMillan, Labour and Childhood, The Child-Hand To-Day:",
          "text": "It has more varied exercises too than has the hand of the child who enters a mill. For though a doffer or factory child does use his hand all day long, it is but a very small group of muscles that is brought into activity.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A worker who replaces full bobbins by empty ones on the throstle or ring frames. The job was often done by children."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "bobbin",
          "bobbin"
        ],
        [
          "throstle",
          "throstle"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "doffer"
}

Download raw JSONL data for doffer meaning in English (4.9kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-06-25 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-06-01 using wiktextract (ade7ec3 and 7f4db16). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.