erf

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English erfe, erve, from Old English yrfe, ierfe (“heritage, bequest, inheritance, property, inherited property, property that passes to an heir, cattle, livestock”), from Proto-Germanic *arbiją (“heritage”), from Proto-Indo-European *orbho-, *h2orbho- (“orphan”). Cognate with Dutch erf (“inheritance, patrimony, ground, courtyard”), German Erbe (“heritage, legacy, inheritance”), Danish arv (“heritage, inheritance”), Swedish arv (“heritage, inheritance”), Gothic  (arbi, “inheritance”), Latin orbus (“orphan”), Ancient Greek ὀρφανός (orphanós, “orphan”), Old English ierfa (“heir”). Related to orf.

Noun

erf (plural erfs)

1. Inheritance; patrimony.
2. (by extension) Stock; cattle.

Derived terms

• erfkin

Etymology 2

From Dutch erf (“patrimony, ground”), related to English erf above.

Noun

erf (plural erfs or erven)

1. (US regional, Cape Colony, New York) A small inherited house-and-garden lot in a village or settlement.

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Dutch

Pronunciation

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Noun

erf n (plural erven, diminutive erfje)

1. yard

Verb

erf

1. first-person singular present indicative of erven
2. imperative of erven