Puffa

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A warm, lightweight jacket filled with insulation and stitched into quilted panels, often worn in cold weather
2. A quilted outer garment stuffed with padding to keep the wearer warm, commonly known in Britain as a puffer jacket
3. An insulated, padded coat with a puffy quilted texture, designed to trap heat in cold conditions

Etymology: "Puffa" is a British word for a quilted, padded jacket, and it began as a brand name. The source connects it to "puff," the light, air-filled quilting that makes such jackets warm but bulky. The word's origin is presumably a trademarked product name, so its story is less a gradual evolution than a commercial coinage that later became generic in everyday speech. Because the etymology rests on a probable link rather than a documented record, the most reliable part of the story is the simple chain: a name built on "puff," applied to a padded garment, and then adopted by ordinary speakers as the common name for that kind of coat. Shoppers in Britain often ask for a "puffa jacket" without thinking of it as a trademark at all, which is how brand names drift into general vocabulary.

Synonyms: puffer jacket, puffer