Etymology Explorer › Sranan Tongo

Where does “kerfi” come from?

kerfi (Sranan Tongo) comes from Dutch kerven, from Middle Dutch kerven, from Old Dutch kervan, from Proto-West Germanic kerban, from Proto-Germanic kerbaną, from Proto-Indo-European gerbʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European ger- — to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind...

kerfi (Sranan Tongo): to carve, to mark with a carving

Definitions

  1. to carve, to mark with a carving

Ancestry of “kerfi”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1DutchkervenTo cut, gouge out; To carve ; notch
2Middle Dutchkervento carve, to cut out; to cut through, to cut into...
3Old Dutchkervanto cut
4Proto-West Germanickerbanto carve, to cut
5Proto-Germanickerbanąto cut
6Proto-Indo-Europeangerbʰ-to carve
7Proto-Indo-Europeanger-to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ger- →