Tuffet facts for kids
A tuffet is a word that describes two main things. It can be a small, grassy hill or a clump of grass. It can also mean a low seat, like a small stool or cushion. You might know this word best from the famous nursery rhyme "Little Miss Muffet".
What is a Tuffet?
A tuffet is often thought of as a small, soft mound of grass. Imagine a tiny hill where you could sit down in a garden or field. This meaning comes from the word "tuft", which means a small bunch of something, like a tuft of hair or a tuft of leaves. People have used the word "tuft" in this way for hundreds of years, going back to the 1500s.
The nursery rhyme "Little Miss Muffet" helped make the word "tuffet" famous. The rhyme says, "Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet." When the rhyme was first printed in 1805, the word "tuffet" likely meant a grassy mound.
Tuffet as a Seat
Over time, because of the rhyme, some people started to think of a tuffet as a low seat. This might have happened because it's easy to imagine Miss Muffet sitting on a small stool or cushion inside, rather than always outside on a grassy hill. So, today, "tuffet" can mean both a natural grassy mound and a man-made low seat.
Images for kids
-
An Arthur Rackham illustration of 1913, showing a tuffet as a grassy mound
-
A Kate Greenaway illustration of 1900, showing a tuffet as a three-legged stool
-
A 1940 poster, showing a tuffet as a low seat
