Where does “kerf” come from?
kerf (English) comes from Middle English kerf, from Old English cyrf, from Finnish kurbi, from English curb, from French courbe, from Latin curbus, from Latin curvus, from Proto-Italic korwos — army.
kerf (English): The act of cutting or carving something; a stroke...
Definitions
- The act of cutting or carving something; a stroke...
Ancestry of “kerf”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | kerf | — |
| 2 | Old English | cyrf | an instrument used for cutting; a cutting; what... |
| 3 | Finnish | kurbi | curb |
| 4 | English | curb | A concrete margin along the edge of a road; a... |
| 5 | French | courbe | curve; curved; bent |
| 6 | Latin | curbus | — |
| 7 | Latin | curvus | bent, crooked, curved |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | korwos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱorh₂wós | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |