As a noun: gathered strips of fabric used for decoration; as a verb: to disturb the smoothness of something or to annoy someone slightly.
From Middle Dutch 'ruffelen' (to wrinkle). The fabric meaning emerged in the 16th century, while the verb developed from the literal sense of wrinkling or disturbing a smooth surface.
Ruffles can describe both a crispy potato chip and ruffled feathers—because both involve disrupting a smooth surface into wavy patterns, showing how texture words bridge the physical and emotional worlds.
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