Standard Lemma guide

dandruff

noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈdændɹʌf/
  • UK: /ˈdændɹʊf/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, General-American: /ˈdændɹəf/
  • Canada, General-American: [ˈdɛəndɹəf]
  • Australian: /ˈdændɹʌf/
  • Australian: /ˈdændɹəf/
  • CMU ARPABET: D AE1 N D R AH0 F Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

scaly white dead skin flakes from the human scalp; Pityriasis capitis

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Examples

  • Dandruff is on my collar again.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To fall or cover with white flakes, like dandruff.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

loose scales shed from the scalp

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • I could see the dandruff on her shoulders

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: scale, scurf, exfoliation

4

noun

Meaning 4

a condition in which white scales of dead skin are shed by the scalp

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: pityriasis

History

Etymology

The word is first attested in 1545; the first element is obscure, but compare dander. The second element derives from a Northumbrian or East Anglian Middle English hurf (“scab”), from Old Norse hrufa. Compare Dutch roof, Luxembourgish Roff. Related with Proto-Germanic *hreubaz, *hreufaz (“rough, scabby”), source of Old English hrēofla (“leprosy, leper”). More at reef (etymology 3).

Across languages

Translations

287 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Abaza: хъа́пӏа (qápʼa) — dead skin flakes
  • Abkhaz: ақырц (akərc) — dead skin flakes
  • Abkhaz: ачхәы (ačxwə) — dead skin flakes
  • Afrikaans: skilfers — dead skin flakes
  • Ainu: レタッツ゚ル — dead skin flakes
  • Albanian: vrokth — dead skin flakes
  • Albanian: zbokth — dead skin flakes
  • Albanian: hedhe — dead skin flakes
  • Amharic: ፎሮፎር (forofor) — dead skin flakes
  • Arabic: قِشْرَة الرَّأْس — dead skin flakes
  • Arabic: قشرة (ʔešra) — dead skin flakes
  • Arabic: قِشْرة (gišra) — dead skin flakes
  • Arabic: قَشرة (qašra) — dead skin flakes
  • Arabic: قُشرة (qušra) — dead skin flakes
  • Aragonese: mollisca — dead skin flakes
  • Aramaic: ܪܳܨܺܝܢܽܘܬܳܐ — dead skin flakes
  • Armenian: թեփ (tʻepʻ) — dead skin flakes
  • Asi: arik-ik — dead skin flakes
  • Assamese: উফি (uphi) — dead skin flakes
  • Asturian: caspa — dead skin flakes
  • Asturian: faílla — dead skin flakes
  • Avar: бакълачӏин (baqxʼlačʼin) — dead skin flakes
  • Avar: хӏабатӏ (ḥrabatʼ) — dead skin flakes
  • Avar: хир (xir) — dead skin flakes
  • Azerbaijani: kəpək — dead skin flakes
  • Azerbaijani: ərp — dead skin flakes
  • Azerbaijani: qovaq — dead skin flakes
  • Azerbaijani: dongra — dead skin flakes
  • Bashkir: ҡауаҡ (qawaq) — dead skin flakes
  • Basque: zahi — dead skin flakes
  • Basque: zolda — dead skin flakes
  • Belarusian: пе́рхаць (pjérxacʹ) — dead skin flakes
  • Bengali: খুশকি (khuśoki) — dead skin flakes
  • Bengali: মরামাস (moramaś) — dead skin flakes
  • Central Bikol: kulisap — dead skin flakes
  • Central Bikol: kaspa — dead skin flakes
  • Central Bikol: daki — dead skin flakes
  • Breton: kenn — dead skin flakes
  • Breton: skant — dead skin flakes
  • Bulgarian: пъ́рхот (pǎ́rhot) — dead skin flakes
  • Bulgarian: пъ́ршей (pǎ́ršej) — dead skin flakes
  • Burmese: ဒက် (dak) — dead skin flakes
  • Burmese: ဗောက် (bauk) — dead skin flakes
  • Carpathian Rusyn: парплї (parplji) — dead skin flakes
  • Carpathian Rusyn: порплї (porplji) — dead skin flakes
  • Catalan: caspa — dead skin flakes
  • Catalan: arna — dead skin flakes
  • Cebuano: kaspa — dead skin flakes
  • Chavacano: kaspa — dead skin flakes
  • Chavacano: caspa — dead skin flakes
  • Chechen: чич (čič) — dead skin flakes
  • Chinese Cantonese: 頭皮屑 /头皮屑 (tau4 pei4 sit3) — dead skin flakes
  • Chinese Cantonese: 頭皮 /头皮 (tau4 pei4) — dead skin flakes
  • Chinese: быйпи (bɨypi) — dead skin flakes
  • Chinese: фупи (fupi) — dead skin flakes
  • Eastern Min Chinese: 白㾀 (băh-kē̤) — dead skin flakes
  • Eastern Min Chinese: 㾀 (kē̤) — dead skin flakes
  • Gan Chinese: 頭殼 /头壳 (Taining) — dead skin flakes
  • Hakka Chinese: 頭皮 /头皮 (thèu-phì) — dead skin flakes
  • Chinese: 頭麩 /头麸 (zh-min-nan) — dead skin flakes
  • Chinese: 頭殼 /头壳 (zh-min-nan) — dead skin flakes
  • Chinese Mandarin: 頭皮屑 /头皮屑 (tóupíxiè) — dead skin flakes
  • Chinese Mandarin: 頭皮 /头皮 (tóupí) — dead skin flakes
  • Wu Chinese: 頭皮屑 /头皮屑 (6deu-bi-shiq) — dead skin flakes
  • Wu Chinese: 風屑 /风屑 (1fon-shiq) — dead skin flakes
  • Chuvash: лӗкӗ (lĕk̬ĕ) — dead skin flakes
  • Cimbrian: grüssa — dead skin flakes
  • West Circassian: кхъапӏэ (qꭓapʼɛ) — dead skin flakes
  • Corsican: forfula — dead skin flakes
  • Crimean Tatar: кепек (kepek) — dead skin flakes
  • Crimean Tatar: kepek — dead skin flakes
  • Czech: lupy — dead skin flakes
  • Danish: skæl — dead skin flakes
  • Dutch: roos — dead skin flakes
  • Dutch: hoofdroos — dead skin flakes
  • Dutch: pellekes — dead skin flakes
  • Emilian: sgaramòffia — dead skin flakes
  • Erzya: лав (lav) — dead skin flakes
  • Esperanto: haŭtero — dead skin flakes
  • Estonian: kõõm — dead skin flakes
  • Evenki: экэри (əkəri) — dead skin flakes
  • Faroese: flus — dead skin flakes
  • Faroese: skóv — dead skin flakes
  • Finnish: hilse — dead skin flakes
  • Finnish: hilseily — dead skin flakes
  • Finnish: kehnä — dead skin flakes
  • French: pellicules — dead skin flakes
  • North Frisian: Skolp — dead skin flakes
  • West-Frisian: dúst — dead skin flakes
  • West-Frisian: roas — dead skin flakes
  • Friulian: schelfe — dead skin flakes
  • Gagauz: konak — dead skin flakes
  • Galician: caspa — dead skin flakes
  • Galician: carepa — dead skin flakes
  • Galician: faísca — dead skin flakes
  • Galician: feila — dead skin flakes
  • Galician: foula — dead skin flakes
  • Galician: freila — dead skin flakes
  • Galician: ceila — dead skin flakes
  • Georgian: ქერტლი (kerṭli) — dead skin flakes
  • Georgian: თებო (tebo) — dead skin flakes
  • German: Kopfschuppen — dead skin flakes
  • German: Schuppen — dead skin flakes
  • German: Hautschuppe — dead skin flakes
  • German: Schorf — dead skin flakes
  • German: Schmelzflocken — dead skin flakes
  • Old High German: hruf — dead skin flakes
  • Greek: πιτυρίδα (pityrída) — dead skin flakes
  • Ancient Greek: ἄχωρ (ákhōr) — dead skin flakes
  • Greenlandic: qaqortualuk — dead skin flakes
  • Hawaiian: kēpia — dead skin flakes
  • Hebrew: קשקשים (kaskasin) — dead skin flakes
  • Hebrew: קַשְׂקֶשֶׂת (kaskéset) — dead skin flakes
  • Hiligaynon: adíkdik — dead skin flakes
  • Hiligaynon: alíkdik — dead skin flakes
  • Hindi: रूसी (rūsī) — dead skin flakes
  • Hindi: रुसी (rusī) — dead skin flakes
  • Hungarian: korpa — dead skin flakes
  • Icelandic: flasa — dead skin flakes
  • Ido: squameto — dead skin flakes
  • Ilocano: lasi — dead skin flakes
  • Indonesian: kětombé — dead skin flakes
  • Indonesian: běrkětombé — dead skin flakes
  • Indonesian: kělěmumur — dead skin flakes
  • Ingrian: pilpa — dead skin flakes
  • Ingush: чич (čič) — dead skin flakes
  • Ingush: керта чич (kerta čič) — dead skin flakes
  • Interlingua: furfure — dead skin flakes
  • Irish: sail chnis — dead skin flakes
  • Italian: forfora — dead skin flakes
  • Japanese: 雲脂 (fuke) — dead skin flakes
  • Japanese: 頭垢 (fuke) — dead skin flakes
  • Kabyle: taslest — dead skin flakes
  • Kabyle: tinesnest — dead skin flakes
  • Karachay-Balkar: габу (gabu) — dead skin flakes
  • Karelian: köyhen — dead skin flakes
  • Kashubian: pierzch — dead skin flakes
  • Kazakh: қайызғақ (qaiyzğaq) — dead skin flakes
  • Khmer: អង្គែ (ʼɑɑʼɑngkɛɛ) — dead skin flakes
  • Komi-Permyak: киль (kiľ) — dead skin flakes
  • Korean: 비듬 (bideum) — dead skin flakes
  • Kumyk: бугъакъ (buğaq) — dead skin flakes
  • Kunigami: 鱗 (irichii) — dead skin flakes
  • Central Kurdish: کِڕێش (kirrêş) — dead skin flakes
  • Central Kurdish: کِڕێژ (kirrêj) — dead skin flakes
  • Southern Kurdish: کِڕاشک (kirraşk) — dead skin flakes
  • Kyrgyz: какач (kakac) — dead skin flakes
  • Ladin: parpaiola — dead skin flakes
  • Lak: чӏачаран (čʼačaran) — dead skin flakes
  • Lao: ຂີ້ຫົວ (khī hūa) — dead skin flakes
  • Latgalian: plauki — dead skin flakes
  • Latin: porrīgō — dead skin flakes
  • Latvian: blaugzna — dead skin flakes
  • Laz: kartu — dead skin flakes
  • Leonese: caspia — dead skin flakes
  • Lezgi: хъуьр (qür) — dead skin flakes
  • Lezgi: гецӏ (gec̣) — dead skin flakes
  • Ligurian: furfure — dead skin flakes
  • Limburgish: roes — dead skin flakes
  • Lithuanian: pleiskana — dead skin flakes
  • Lombard: röfa — dead skin flakes
  • Luxembourgish: Schubber — dead skin flakes
  • Macedonian: пр́вут (pŕvut) — dead skin flakes
  • Malagasy: angadrano — dead skin flakes
  • Malay: kelemumur — dead skin flakes
  • Manx: cuddym — dead skin flakes
  • Manx: far-scryss — dead skin flakes
  • Māori: maihi — dead skin flakes
  • Māori: māungaunga — dead skin flakes
  • Māori: inaho — dead skin flakes
  • Māori: pakitea — dead skin flakes
  • Eastern Mari: лыге (lyge) — dead skin flakes
  • Western Mari: лӹгӹ (lÿgÿ) — dead skin flakes
  • Middle English: brā̆n — dead skin flakes
  • Middle English: furfur — dead skin flakes
  • Mingrelian: ქერცი (kerci) — dead skin flakes
  • Mingrelian: ქერცა (kerca) — dead skin flakes
  • Mirandese: falhisca — dead skin flakes
  • Mokilese: wehn moang — dead skin flakes
  • Moksha: лав (lav) — dead skin flakes
  • Mongolian: үсний хаг (üsnii xag) — dead skin flakes
  • Mongolian: хаг (xag) — dead skin flakes
  • Mongolian: ᠬᠠᠭ (qaɣ) — dead skin flakes
  • Nahuatl: cuatenextli — dead skin flakes
  • Nahuatl: cuāzōcyō — dead skin flakes
  • Navajo: tsiitłʼóół — dead skin flakes
  • Nepali: चाया (cāyā) — dead skin flakes
  • Nogai: кайызгак (kayızgak) — dead skin flakes
  • Norman: crache — dead skin flakes
  • Northern Sotho: lehlono — dead skin flakes
  • Norwegian Bokmål: flass — dead skin flakes
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: flass — dead skin flakes
  • Okinawan: 鱗 (irichi) — dead skin flakes
  • Old Tupi: 'apiku'i — dead skin flakes
  • Oroqen: alʊkta — dead skin flakes
  • Ossetian: кӕнк (kænk) — dead skin flakes
  • Palauan: chelechelóul — dead skin flakes
  • Pashto: دسر پخه — dead skin flakes
  • Persian: شوره سر (šure-ye sar) — dead skin flakes
  • Persian: شوره (šure) — dead skin flakes
  • Piedmontese: furfa — dead skin flakes
  • Piedmontese: forfa — dead skin flakes
  • Piedmontese: fòrfora — dead skin flakes
  • Plautdietsch: Schenn — dead skin flakes
  • Polish: łupież — dead skin flakes
  • Portuguese: caspa — dead skin flakes
  • Punjabi: ਕਰ੍ਹ (karh) — dead skin flakes
  • Punjabi: ਸਿੱਕਰੀ (sikkarī) — dead skin flakes
  • Quechua: qara pʼaspa — dead skin flakes
  • Rapa Nui: raha — dead skin flakes
  • Rarotongan: paku — dead skin flakes
  • Romanian: mătreață — dead skin flakes
  • Romansh: crappagls — dead skin flakes
  • Romansh: stgalias — dead skin flakes
  • Russian: пе́рхоть (pérxotʹ) — dead skin flakes
  • Rwanda-Rundi: imvuvu — dead skin flakes
  • Inari Saami: konnâ — dead skin flakes
  • Kildin: кэ̄нн (kēnn) — dead skin flakes
  • Lule Saami: gadna — dead skin flakes
  • Northern Saami: gatna — dead skin flakes
  • Pite Saami: gadna — dead skin flakes
  • Saami Skolt: kõnn — dead skin flakes
  • Saami: gïtne — dead skin flakes
  • Sango: nzombö — dead skin flakes
  • Sanskrit: दारुणा (dāruṇā) — dead skin flakes
  • Santali: ᱩᱯᱭᱟᱺᱥ (upyẵs) — dead skin flakes
  • Sardinian: tizòla — dead skin flakes
  • Scots: kell — dead skin flakes
  • Scots: scruif — dead skin flakes
  • Scottish Gaelic: eanach — dead skin flakes
  • Scottish Gaelic: sgailc-mhullaich — dead skin flakes
  • Serbo-Croatian: пе̏рӯт — dead skin flakes
  • Serbo-Croatian: пе̏рӯт — dead skin flakes
  • Serbo-Croatian: pȅrūtm — dead skin flakes
  • Serbo-Croatian: pȑhūt — dead skin flakes
  • Shona: makwenu — dead skin flakes
  • Sicilian: canigghiola — dead skin flakes
  • Sinhalese: ඉස්හොරි (ishori) — dead skin flakes
  • Slovak: lupina — dead skin flakes
  • Slovene: prhljaj — dead skin flakes
  • Somali: toxob — dead skin flakes
  • Lower Sorbian: spjerchlina — dead skin flakes
  • Upper Sorbian: pjerchizna — dead skin flakes
  • Spanish: caspa — dead skin flakes
  • Sundanese: kotombé — dead skin flakes
  • Sundanese: totombé — dead skin flakes
  • Svan: ქა̈რჩ (kärč) — dead skin flakes
  • Swahili: mba — dead skin flakes
  • Swahili: uyabisi — dead skin flakes
  • Swedish: mjäll — dead skin flakes
  • Tabasaran: гацӏ (gac̣) — dead skin flakes
  • Tagalog: balakubak — dead skin flakes
  • Tagalog: kulisap — dead skin flakes
  • Tagalog: dalikdik — dead skin flakes
  • Tamil: பொடுகு (poṭuku) — dead skin flakes
  • Tatar: кавык (qawıq) — dead skin flakes
  • Tatar: баш кавыгы (baş qawığı) — dead skin flakes
  • Tatar: qawıq — dead skin flakes
  • Telugu: చుండ్రు (cuṇḍru) — dead skin flakes
  • Ternate: booca — dead skin flakes
  • Thai: ขี้รังแค (kîi-rang-kɛɛ) — dead skin flakes
  • Thai: รังแค (rang-kɛɛ) — dead skin flakes
  • Tibetan: ཀོག་ཤི (kog shi) — dead skin flakes
  • Tibetan: སྐོག་སྐྱི (skog skyi) — dead skin flakes
  • Tigrinya: ፎሮፎር (forofor) — dead skin flakes
  • Turkish: kepek — dead skin flakes
  • Turkmen: goňak — dead skin flakes
  • Udmurt: киль (kiľ) — dead skin flakes
  • Udmurt: лом (lom) — dead skin flakes
  • Udmurt: лыгы (lygy) — dead skin flakes
  • Ukrainian: лупа́ (lupá) — dead skin flakes
  • Ulwa (Nicaragua): danda — dead skin flakes
  • Unami: òlèkw — dead skin flakes
  • Urdu: دیوار (devār) — dead skin flakes
  • Urdu: روسی (rūsī) — dead skin flakes
  • Uyghur: كېپەك (këpek) — dead skin flakes
  • Vietnamese: gàu — dead skin flakes
  • Vietnamese: gầu — dead skin flakes
  • Võro: koomõq — dead skin flakes
  • Welsh: cen pen — dead skin flakes
  • Welsh: marwdon — dead skin flakes
  • West Flemish: pellekes — dead skin flakes
  • Xhosa: inkwethu — dead skin flakes
  • Yakut: хоҕоһо (qoğoho) — dead skin flakes
  • Yiddish: שופּן (shupn) — dead skin flakes
  • Yogad: kugipa — dead skin flakes
  • Yucatec Maya: ta’ pool — dead skin flakes