Etymology

tharf

T1H4A1R1F4

Today it means: Stiff, unsocial, rough in manner. Full definition →

Middle English therf ← Old English þeorf ← Proto-West Germanic *þerb
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tharf · adjective1

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*(s)terbh-
  2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*þerbaz“unleavened, simple”
  3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*þerb
  4. Old English · inherited fromþeorf“unleavened, fresh, skim”
  5. Middle English · inherited fromtherf
  6. English todaytharf

From Middle English therf, from Old English þeorf (“unleavened, fresh, skim”), from Proto-West Germanic *þerb, from Proto-Germanic *þerbaz (“unleavened, simple”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)terbh-, *(s)trebh- (“rigid, stiff, tight”). Cognate with German derb (“rough, coarse, rude”), Old Frisian therve, Middle Dutch derf.

tharf · verb2

  1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*terp-“to satisfy”
  2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*þurban
  3. English todaytharf

From English tharf, conjugated form of tharen, from Proto-West Germanic *þurban, from Proto-Indo-European *terp- (“to satisfy”). Cognate with German dürfen (“may, to be allowed to; must”) and Ancient Greek τέρπω (térpō, “to delight”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.