terp

See also: Terp, Tērp, and 'terp

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /tɝp/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /tɜːp/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)p

Etymology 1

Clipping of interpreter.

Noun

terp (plural terps)

1. (military or Deaf slang) An interpreter (person who translates).
   • 1994 September 15, Tom Lyczko, “Comments on ASL Interpreter Position Description”, in DEAF-L mailing list‎^[1], message-ID <Pine.3.89.9409151534.A19989-0100000@gamera.syr.edu>:

     I don't think it's at all appropriate to hire a terp to review your correspondences, reports, grammar, tone, style, etc. It is completely YOUR responsibility to perform effective written communication tasks.

   • 2003 November 27, Paul Watson, “Losing Its Few Good Men”, in Los Angeles Times:

     But for troops in the new Afghan army, there is a particular irritant: Afghan interpreters working with U.S. soldiers — called terps by troops in the field — can earn more than an Afghan army officer.

   • 2013, Marc Dauphin, Combat Doctor: Life and Death Stories from Kandahar's Military Hospital, Toronto: Dundurn Press, →ISBN, page 197:

     We don't understand what he's saying, of course, but he looks like he knows what he's saying. There's a certain something that emanates from a confused patient that this fellow doesn't have. I sure wish I had more 'terps. Well, we're not going to CT him right away.

2. (computing, slang) An interpreter (program that parses and executes another program).
   • 2001 July 23, Fillmore, “Z-Machine terp”, in rec.arts.int-fiction‎^[2] (Usenet), message-ID <6j177.12538$Iz3.3461071@news2-win.server.ntlworld.com>:

     So, I'm writing a Z-Machine terp. It is not done. It's getting there. Now, I have some ideas of things I would like this terp to do, but I thought it might be a nice idea to find out if there are any features that other people on this newsgroup would like in a Z-Machine terp.

   • 2009 September 15, Dannii, “IF System Idea”, in rec.arts.int-fiction‎^[3] (Usenet), message-ID <15cd3135-0302-421e-be03-d40a5dbb1645@m7g2000prd.googlegroups.com>:

     As far as I know all the TADS terps are just ports of the original.

Alternative forms

• 'terp

Etymology 2

Clipping of terpene.

Noun

terp (plural terps)

1. Any of various essential oils containing monoterpene alcohols which are added to a henna mix to darken the color.

Verb

terp (third-person singular simple present terps, present participle terping, simple past and past participle terped)

1. (transitive) To add such an essential oil to (a henna mix).

Etymology 3

Clipping of Terpsichore, the goddess of dance and the dramatic chorus in Greek mythology.

Noun

terp (countable and uncountable, plural terps)

1. (dated, slang) Dance.
   • 1946 December 14, “Broadway Openings: If the Shoe Fits”, in The Billboard, volume 58, number 50, page 48:

     In the terp section, Barbara Perry, last here in a straight role in Swan Song, scores smartly as a dancer, and lanky Jack Williams holds down the other lead stepping slot with his intricate tap routines. Dancing is overall excellent, but as noted above, there is too much of it.

Derived terms

• terpery

Verb

terp (third-person singular simple present terps, present participle terping, simple past and past participle terped)

1. (transitive, dated, slang) To dance.
   • 1946 December 14, Frank Gill, “Jooss Ballet Juice In Return to B'way”, in The Billboard, volume 58, number 50, page 48:

     Longhair terping got another boost around these parts Tuesday (3) when the Jooss Ballet returned to the New York City Center for a three-week stint. Heavy balletomane audience was on hand, generous in its applause welcoming back this unique troupe after a five-year wartime absence.

Etymology 4

A terp in Hooge, Germany

From Dutch terp (“terp”).

Noun

terp (plural terps or terpen)

1. An artificial dwelling mound found on the North European Plain, created to provide safe ground during storm surges, high tides and sea or river flooding.
   • 1898, The Outlook, volume 60, page 281:

     Most Dutch cities began on a terp or artificial mound to which the prehistoric amphibious folk rushed for refuge when floods rolled in.

Further reading

• Terp (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• -pter, PERT, pert, pret., rept-

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from West Frisian terp, from Old Frisian therp, from Proto-West Germanic *þorp, from Proto-Germanic *þurpą, *þrepą (“village, farmstead, troop”), from Proto-Indo-European *treb- (“dwelling, room”). Doublet of dorp.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɛrp/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: terp
• Rhymes: -ɛrp

Noun

terp m (plural terpen, diminutive terpje n)

1. artificial mound or hillock used as shelter during high tide

Synonyms

• wierde

Derived terms

• Terpstra

Anagrams

• pret, rept

West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian thorp, therp, from Proto-West Germanic *þorp. Doublet of doarp.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɛrp/

Noun

terp c (plural terpen, diminutive terpke)

1. artificial mound or hillock used as shelter during high tide
2. (archaic) village

   Synonym: doarp

Derived terms

• Terpstra

- in toponyms:

• Jousterp
• Lekkerterp
• Rytseterp
• Weinterp

 

Descendants

• → Dutch: terp

Further reading

• “terp”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011