Origin and history of snuff

"to cut or pinch off the burned part of a candle wick," mid-15c., snoffen, from noun snoffe "burned part of a candle wick" (late 14c.), a word of unknown origin, perhaps related to snuff (v.2).

The meaning "to die" is from 1865; that of "to kill" is from 1932; snuff-film, pornography involving the actual killing of a woman, originally an urban legend, is from 1975.

"draw in through the nose with the breath," 1520s, also intransitive, "inhale air vigorously through the nose," from Dutch or Flemish snuffen "to sniff, snuff," which is related to Dutch snuiven "to sniff," from Proto-Germanic *snuf- (source also of Middle High German snupfe, German Schnupfen "head-cold"), imitative of the sound of drawing air through the nose (see snout). Related: Snuffed; snuffing.

"powdered tobacco to be inhaled," 1680s, from Dutch or Flemish snuf, shortened from snuftabak "snuff tobacco," from snuffen "to sniff, snuff" (see snuff (v.2)). The practice became fashionable in England c. 1680. Slang phrase up to snuff "knowing, sharp, wide-awake, not likely to be deceived" is from 1810; the sense is said to be from hunting terminology, the metaphor being a dog that can chase a scent.

(a) he's up to snuff

This is highly figurative. To snuff up is to scent. Guildenstern says,

"------- he knows well enough

"the game we're after. Zooks, he's up to snuff."

that is, he has got the scent of the game we are in pursuit of. The metaphor, which is striking and opposite, is from the Chase.

[Hamlet Travestie, with Annotations by Dr. Johnson and Geo. Steevens, Esq. and Other Commentators. 1810.]