Tuffet facts for kids

Miss Muffet sitting on a tuffet, or grassy mound, by John Everett Millais, 1884

A tuffet is a small grassy mound or clump of grass; or alternatively a low seat.

The word is now known mostly from the nursery rhyme "Little Miss Muffet" which was first printed in 1805. It was originally a variant of the word "tuft" (e.g. of leaves or flowers), a usage which dates back at least to the 16th century.

In "Little Miss Muffet" the word may refer to a grassy hillock, a small knoll or mound. Perhaps due to misunderstanding of the rhyme, the word has also come to mean a low seat.

Images for kids

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  An Arthur Rackham illustration of 1913, showing a tuffet as a grassy mound

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  A Kate Greenaway illustration of 1900, showing a tuffet as a three-legged stool

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  A 1940 poster, showing a tuffet as a low seat