coff

English

Etymology 1

Attested from the 15th century. Likely from Scots coft, or from Middle Dutch or other Germanic cofte. Compare German kaufen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɒf/

Verb

coff (third-person singular simple present coffs, present participle coffing, simple past and past participle coffed or coft)

1. (Scotland, transitive) To buy, purchase.
   • 1904, Robert Ford, Children's Rhymes, Children's Games, Children's Songs, Children's Stories‎^[1]:

     I got a little manikin, I set him on my thoomiken;
     I saddled him, I bridled him, I sent him to the tooniken:
     I coffed a pair o' garters to tie his little hosiken;

Etymology 2

See cough

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɒf/, /kɔf/

Verb

coff (third-person singular simple present coffs, present participle coffing, simple past and past participle coffed)

1. Eye dialect spelling of cough.
   • 1903, Josiah Marshall, “Melissy and tha chillens”, in W.H. Emerson, editor, Tha Ole Watah Mill and Melissy And Tha Chillens, page 111:

     that mothah as often as fambly prayers were said mawnins as the years went by, would wrap her nice, clean tow apron about her boy, as she coffed and choked and pressed her baby to her soah side

Scots

Etymology

Back-formation from coft (“bought”), from Middle Dutch cofte, gecoft, past and past participle of copen (“buy”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /kɔf/

Verb

coff (third-person singular simple present coffs, present participle coffin, simple past coft, past participle coft)

1. (dated, transitive) To buy.
   • 1909, Margaret Orvis McCloskey, The McCloskey Primer, page 155:

     So she thought to herself what she wad do wi her twal pennies, and at last she thought she couldna do better than gang wi't to the market and buy a kid. Sae she gaued to the market and coffed a fine kid.

     So she thought to herself about what would she do with her twelve pennies, and at last she thought she could not do better than to go to the market and buy a goat. Well, she went to the market and bought a fine kid.