nerf

See also: NeRF

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /nɜːf/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /nɝf/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)f

Etymology 1

Circa 1950s? (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

nerf (third-person singular simple present nerfs, present participle nerfing, simple past and past participle nerfed)

1. (motor racing, transitive) To bump lightly, whether accidentally or purposefully.

   A racer will often nerf another as a psychological tactic.

   • 1953, Henry Gregor Felsen, Street Rod, Random House, page 129:

     "The crazy fool!" Ricky exclaimed. "Nerfing me!"

Derived terms

• nerf bar
• nerf ball
• nerf net

Etymology 2

From the Nerf brand of toys designed as non-dangerous counterparts of existing things, such as sports balls and guns. Originally used to equate a change in the damage of a weapon in a video game to a change from real weapons to Nerf weapons.

Verb

nerf (third-person singular simple present nerfs, present participle nerfing, simple past and past participle nerfed)

2. (transitive, slang, video games) To change a mechanic, an ability or a character in a video game in order to make a previously dominant strategy less viable or less effective.

   Synonym: gimp

   The lightning spell was originally pretty powerful, but in the sequel they nerfed it so it became completely useless.

4. (transitive, slang) To arbitrarily limit or reduce the capability of.
   • 2019 May 17, Fred Lambert, Electrek‎^[1], retrieved 2019-05-19:

     Tesla nerfs Autopilot in Europe due to new regulations

Synonyms

• debuff, worsen, deteriorate, cripple, declaw, defang, degenerate

Antonyms

• ameliorate, buff (game slang), improve, renew, renovate, revamp

Derived terms

• stealth nerf

Translations

to arbitrarily limit or reduce one's capacity

• French: nerfer (fr)
• German: nerfen
• Italian: nerfare
• Japanese: ナーフ (nāfu)
• Sicilian: nirfari
• Spanish: nerfear (es)
• Turkish: nerflemek

Noun

nerf (plural nerfs)

2. (slang, video games) The deterioration, weakening or worsening of a character, a weapon, a spell, etc.

Anagrams

• Fern, fern, fren, fren'

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɛrf/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: nerf
• Rhymes: -ɛrf

Etymology 1

From earlier nerve, from Middle Dutch *narwe, either inherited from Old Dutch *narwa or borrowed from Middle Low German narwe, eventually from Proto-Germanic *narwō, from earlier *arwaz (“scar”).

For the change of -rwe → -rf, compare verf. Cognate with German Narbe (“scar”).

Noun

nerf f (plural nerven, diminutive nerfje n)

1. grain of wood
2. (dated) a similar line in leather, paper, etc.

Derived terms

• houtnerf

Etymology 2

From Latin nervus. The botanic sense belongs historically to this word, but is semantically close to etymology 1 and hence not necessarily felt as a distinct word.

Noun

nerf f (plural nerven, diminutive nerfje n)

1. (obsolete) nerve

   Synonym: zenuw

2. (botany) vein of a leaf

Derived terms

• bladnerf

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French nerf, from Old French nerf, inherited from Latin nervus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɛʁ/

• audio

  (file)

Noun

nerf m (plural nerfs)

1. (anatomy) nerve
2. (figuratively) force, power, strength

   Les nerfs, les garçons! On n’est pas sur un bateau de plaisance. ― Put some muscle into it, boys! We are not on a pleasure boat!

Derived terms

• à bout de nerfs
• avoir les nerfs à vif
• crise de nerfs
• du nerf
• énerver
• être sur les nerfs
• guerre des nerfs
• innerver
• nerf crânien
• nerf de bœuf
• nerf du canal ptérygoïdien
• nerf phrénique
• nerf radial
• nerf sacculaire
• nerf saphène
• nerf sciatique
• nerf spinal
• nerf splanchnique
• nerf subclavier
• nerf trijumeau
• nerf trochléaire
• nerf vague
• nerf vestibulocochléaire
• nerf vidien
• nerval
• nerver
• nerveux
• nervure
• passer ses nerfs
• taper sur les nerfs

 

Related terms

• neuro-
• neurone
• névro-

 

Further reading

• “nerf”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French nerf.

Noun

nerf m (plural nerfz)

1. nerve

Descendants

• French: nerf

Old French

Etymology

From Latin nervus.

Noun

nerf oblique singular, m (oblique plural ners, nominative singular ners, nominative plural nerf)

1. nerve
   • 1377, Bernard de Gordon, Fleur de lis de medecine (a.k.a. lilium medicine), page 185 of this essay:

     Donc lepre est maladie de chair et non pas du cueur, ne des os, de des nerfs etc.

     Therefore leprosy is a disease of the flesh and not of the heart, nor of the bones, nor of the nerves, etc.

Related terms

• nerveus

Descendants

• Middle French: nerf
  • French: nerf

Welsh

Etymology

Borrowed from English nerve.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɛrv/

Noun

nerf f (plural nerfau, not mutable)

1. nerve

Derived terms

• nerfol
• nerfus