means A catch-all term for material, objects, possessions, or undefined matter — the linguistic equivalent of pointing vaguely at a pile.

from From Old French 'estoffe,' meaning fabric, furniture, or provisions — the raw material you'd stock a household or an army with. That sense traces back to the verb 'estoffer,' to furnish or equip, possibly from a Germanic root. English borrowed it in the medieval period as 'stuffe,' first meaning quilted padding and military equipment, then drifting outward until it could mean absolutely anything you couldn't be bothered to name.