Scherf

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proper noun

A surname.

OriginMiddle High German scherf ← Old High German scerf ← Proto-Germanic *skrapōną →
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Meanings

proper nounScherf (plural Scherfs)

plural Scherfs

  1. A surname.

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*skrapōną“to scratch”
  2. Old High Germanscerf
  3. Middle High Germanscherf
  4. EnglishScherf

From the German surname, reflecting multiple origins: * Middle Low German and Middle High German scherf, a kind of coin, used as a nickname for poor people, from Old High German scerf, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *skrapōną (“to scratch”). * From scharf, scharpf, scherf (“eager, rough”) * Habitational surname from Scherfede in Warburg

More words from Middle High German, Old High German, Proto-Germanic

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Scherf. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Scherf

MLA

“Scherf.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Scherf. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Scherf,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Scherf.

Source: Scherf on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.