*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of corf

From Middle English corf, borrowed from Middle Low German korf or Middle Dutch korf, ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *korb.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A large basket, especially as used for coal. · A container (basket, wooden box with holes etc.) used to store live fish underwater. · A wooden frame, sled, or low-wheeled wagon, to convey coal or ore in the mines.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English corf, borrowed from Middle Low German korf or Middle Dutch korf, ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *korb.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentioncorfenm
  • Derivation mentionkorfgml
  • Derivation mentionkorfdum
  • Derivation mention*korbgmw-pro
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "dercat",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "osx",
        "3": "odt",
        "4": "gem-pro",
        "5": "ine-pro",
        "6": "la"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "corf"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English corf"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gml",
        "3": "korf"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German korf"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dum",
        "3": "korf"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Dutch korf"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*korb"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *korb"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "corf",
      "corf#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "korf",
      "korf#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "korf",
      "korf#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "*korb",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/korb"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A large basket, especially as used for coal.",
        "A container (basket, wooden box with holes etc.) used to store live fish underwater.",
        "A wooden frame, sled, or low-wheeled wagon, to convey coal or ore in the mines."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "eb8c47592e0a8b26ac82dd6400d1b65b09dfb7ec581c99ca9922f6c847c4caf0",
      "rawRecordSha256": "912e51043818beb304c0aa6233368437804ade7566f9cd3566118811f247be8d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1251170
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for corf →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Y29yZg