English
erf
Erf comes from Middle English erve ‘Stock, cattle’, from Old English ierfe ‘inheritance’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃erbʰ- ‘to change ownership’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃erbʰ-1‘to change ownership’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*arbiją1‘heritage’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*arbī1‘inheritance’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ierfe1‘inheritance’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500erve1‘Stock, cattle’
- Englishtodayerf1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English erf
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃erbʰ-Wiktionary, English erf‘to change ownership’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*arbijąWiktionary, English erf‘heritage’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*arbīWiktionary, English erf‘inheritance’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ierfeWiktionary, English erf‘inheritance’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500erveWiktionary, English erf‘Stock, cattle’
- EnglishtodayerfWiktionary, English erf
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃erbʰ- ‘to change ownership’
Another origin of erf
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃erbʰ-‘inheritance’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*arbiją‘heritage, inheritance’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*arbī‘inheritance’reconstructed
- Old Dutchc. 500–1150ervi
- Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500erve‘real estate, unmovable property, which belongs to oneself and can be inherited’
- Dutchc. 1500–presenterf‘hereditament, plot of land’
- Englishtodayerf
Today it means
noun Inheritance; patrimony.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “erf”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.