The story
- Proto-Germanic · derived from*hreubaz
- Old Norse · derived fromhrufa
- Middle English · inherited fromhurf“scab”
- English todaydandruff
The word is first attested in 1545; the first element is obscure, but compare dander. The second element derives from a Northumbrian or East Anglian Middle English hurf (“scab”), from Old Norse hrufa. Compare Dutch roof, Luxembourgish Roff. Related with Proto-Germanic *hreubaz, *hreufaz (“rough, scabby”), source of Old English hrēofla (“leprosy, leper”). More at reef (etymology 3).
Words from the same roots
Proto-Germanic*hreubaz all →
reeforf
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.