rough and unfriendly in manner or voice; having a low, harsh tone that sounds grumpy.
From Dutch 'grof' meaning coarse or rough, which entered English in the 16th century. The word likely has Germanic roots related to coarseness and roughness, evolving to describe both physical texture and personality traits.
The word 'gruff' describes a sound so perfectly—when you hear someone speak gruffly, your brain actually processes it as physically rougher due to something called phonetic iconicity, where the harsh consonants match the harsh mood.
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