erf
TranslingualEdit
SymbolEdit
erf
- (mathematics) The symbol for the error function.
EnglishEdit
PronunciationEdit
- Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)f
Etymology 1Edit
From Middle English erve, erfe, from Old English yrfe, ierfe (“heritage, bequest, inheritance, property, inherited property, property that passes to an heir, cattle, livestock”), from Proto-West Germanic *arbī, from Proto-Germanic *arbiją (“heritage”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃erbʰ- (“to change ownership”) (whence also *h₃órbʰos (“orphan”)).
Cognate with Dutch erf (“inheritance, patrimony, ground, courtyard”), German Erbe (“heritage, legacy, inheritance”), Danish arv (“heritage, inheritance”), Swedish arv (“heritage, inheritance”), Gothic 𐌰𐍂𐌱𐌹 (arbi, “inheritance”), Latin orbus (“orphan”), Ancient Greek ὀρφανός (orphanós, “orphan”), Old English ierfa (“heir”). Related to orf and odal and athel.
NounEdit
erf (plural erfs)
- (Northern England, Scotland, rare) Inheritance; patrimony.
- Son, you will have this farm to erf.
- (by extension) Stock; cattle.
Derived termsEdit
ReferencesEdit
Etymology 2Edit
Borrowed from obsolete Dutch erf (“hereditament, plot of land”). Doublet of erf above.
NounEdit
- (US regional, Cape Colony, New York, South Africa) A small inherited house-and-garden lot in a village or settlement.
AnagramsEdit
DutchEdit
PronunciationEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From Middle Dutch erve, from Old Dutch ervi, from Proto-West Germanic *arbī, from Proto-Germanic *arbiją.
NounEdit
erf n (plural erven, diminutive erfje n)
- yard (open area adjoining and belonging to a house)
- (figuratively) heritage, patrimony
- (obsolete, law) hereditament, especially a plot of land
- Antonym: kateel
- (obsolete) inheritance
Derived termsEdit
DescendantsEdit
Etymology 2Edit
See the etymology of the main entry.
VerbEdit
erf
Middle EnglishEdit
NounEdit
erf
- Alternative form of erve