sef

See also: séf, sêf, šef, șef, şef, šéf, and sɛ́f

Translingual

Etymology

Abbreviation of English Senoufo.

Symbol

sef

1. (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Cebaara Senoufo.

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Cebaara Senoufo terms

Gullah

Etymology

From English self.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sef/

Noun

sef

1. self
2. ego

Alternative forms

• -sef, 'sef

Particle

sef (affix pronoun)

1. (post-positional) forms reflexive pronouns from non-reflexive pronouns

   example: me-sef

References

• Virginia Mixson Geraty, Gulluh fuh oonuh: Gullah for You (1997)
• Lorenzo Dow Turner, Africanisms in the Gullah Dialect (1969)
•  David B. Frank. Gullah Grammar Sketch

Hausa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sêf/
  • (Standard Kano Hausa) IPA^(key): [sêɸ]

Noun

sêf m

1. safe (for money or valuables)

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛːv/
• Rhymes: -ɛːv

Etymology 1

From Old Norse sef, possibly borrowed from Old Irish simin, sibin(n), from Proto-Indo-European *sem-ino?. Otherwise from Proto-Germanic *seba-, which would suggest an irregular, non-Indo-European substrate root alternation *seb-, *sem-, similar to sandr. According to Pokorny, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seyb- (“to pour, leak, trickle”).

Noun

sef n (genitive singular sefs, no plural)

1. rush (plant of the genus Juncus)

Declension

Declension of sef (sg-only neuter)

	singular
	indefinite	definite
nominative	sef	sefið
accusative	sef	sefið
dative	sefi	sefinu
genitive	sefs	sefsins

Derived terms

• blómsef (“three-flowered rush, Juncus triglumis”)
• dökkasef (“chestnut rush, Juncus castaneus”)
• fitjasef (“black-grass rush, Juncus gerardii”)
• flagasef (“two-flowered rush, Juncus biglumis”)
• laugasef (“jointleaf rush, Juncus articulatus”)
• lækjasef (“toad rush, Juncus bufonius”)
• móasef (“highland rush, Juncus trifolia”)
• mýrasef (“northern green rush, Juncus alpinoarticulatus”)
• þráðsef (“thread rush, Juncus filiformis”)

Etymology 2

Inflected form of sofa (“to sleep”).

Verb

sef

1. first-person singular present indicative of sofa

Nigerian Pidgin

Etymology

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

Adverb

sef

1. expresses irriation, impatience or emphasis

Usage notes

Normally placed at the end of a statement or rhetorical question.

Old Norse

Etymology

From or related to Proto-Germanic *sipōną (“to trickle, drip, fall”), referring to the sap of the leaves or the moistness of places that they grow in.

Noun

sef n (genitive sefs)

1. sedge, rush

Descendants

• Danish: siv
• Icelandic: sef
• Norwegian Nynorsk: siv
• Norwegian Bokmål: siv
• Swedish: säv

Further reading

• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910), “sef”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive
• Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 3, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 894

Romanian

Noun

sef n (plural sefuri)

1. alternative form of seif

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	sef	seful		sefuri	sefurile
genitive-dative	sef	sefului		sefuri	sefurilor
vocative	sefule			sefurilor

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Borrowed from English safe.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sêf/

Noun

sȅf m inan (Cyrillic spelling се̏ф)

1. safe, strongbox

Declension

Declension of sef

	singular	plural
nominative	sȅf	sèfovi
genitive	sefa	sefova
dative	sefu	sefovima
accusative	sef	sefove
vocative	sefe	sefovi
locative	sefu	sefovima
instrumental	sefom	sefovima

Slovene

Etymology

From English safe.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /séːf/

Noun

sẹ̑f m inan

1. safe (a box, usually made of metal, in which valuables can be locked for safekeeping)

Declension

The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.

Masculine inan., hard o-stem
nom. sing.	séf
gen. sing.	séfa
	singular	dual	plural
nominative (imenovȃlnik)	séf	séfa	séfi
genitive (rodȋlnik)	séfa	séfov	séfov
dative (dajȃlnik)	séfu	séfoma	séfom
accusative (tožȋlnik)	séf	séfa	séfe
locative (mẹ̑stnik)	séfu	séfih	séfih
instrumental (orọ̑dnik)	séfom	séfoma	séfi

Further reading

• “sef”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU (in Slovene), 2014–2026

Talysh

Etymology

Cognate with Persian سیب (sib).

Noun

sef

1. apple

Welsh

Alternative forms

• ysef

Etymology

Inherited from Middle Welsh yssef, from ys (“is”) + ef (“it”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /seːv/

Adverb

sef

1. that is to say, that is, namely

   Synonym: hynny yw

Further reading

• D. G. Lewis, N. Lewis, editors (2005–present), “sef”, in Gweiadur: the Welsh–English Dictionary, Gwerin
• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “sef”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies