griff

See also: Griff

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɹɪf/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Homophone: griffe
• Rhymes: -ɪf

Etymology 1

Shortened from earlier griffin.

Noun

griff (plural griffs)

1. (informal) Clipping of griffin.

   Alternative form: gryph

   • 1997 October 22, Ratty, “How to handle against human submarines?”, in alt.games.warcraft‎ (Usenet), archived from the original on 5 December 2025:

     problem with griffs is that they r tooo weak to take a town by itself, cuz they take forever and by the time they r finished with a building, the enm has already got together some defense and is ready to kick the griffs a**....

   • 1999 June 22, Riprock, “Griffins confuse me”, in alt.games.everquest‎ (Usenet), archived from the original on 5 December 2025:

     Diff griffs con differently. Next time one flies righ^[sic] over you, /con it to see how it sees you. Some con "ready to attack" to me and some /con "Indifferently" and anywhere in between.

   • 1999 July 8, Kevin McGuire, “Anyone Play Magic and mayhem...anyone??”, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic‎ (Usenet), archived from the original on 5 December 2025:

     Lure will get the mage some breathing room, so it isn't an absolute kill (and Stone Gaze can really hurt the griffs), but it sure is fun.

2. (India) griffin, (white) newcomer

Related terms

• hippogriff

Etymology 2

Compare grip, gripe.

Noun

griff (plural griffs)

1. (obsolete) grasp; reach
   • 1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “(please specify |book=I to XXXVII)”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], (please specify |tome=1 or 2), London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC:

     A vaine of gold ore within one spades griffe in the first turfe of the ground

2. (weaving) An arrangement of parallel bars for lifting the hooked wires which raise the warp threads in a loom for weaving figured goods.

References

• Edward H[enry] Knight (1877), “Griff”, in Knight’s American Mechanical Dictionary. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), New York, N.Y.: Hurd and Houghton […], →OCLC.

Etymology 3

Alternative forms

• grefa, griefo, griefs, grifa, griffa, griffo

Noun

griff (uncountable)

1. (colloquial, slang) marijuana.

Derived terms

• green griff
• griff house

German

Verb

griff

1. first/third-person singular preterite of greifen