Etymology Explorer › Dutch

Where does “nerf” come from?

nerf (Dutch) comes from Dutch nerve, from Middle Dutch narwe, from Old Dutch narwa, from Polish narwać, from Polish na-, from Old Polish na-, from Proto-Slavic na- — on.

nerf (Dutch): grain of wood; a similar line in leather, paper,...

Definitions

  1. grain of wood; a similar line in leather, paper,...

Ancestry of “nerf”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1DutchnerveObsolete form of nerf
2Middle Dutchnarwe—
3Old Dutchnarwa—
4Polishnarwać—
5Polishna-—
6Old Polishna-—
7Proto-Slavicna-on

Words derived from “nerf”

  • nerve
  • nerf
Every word from Proto-Slavic na- →