*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of dorf

In some cases from German Dorf and in others from the cognate Yiddish דאָרף (dorf). Doublet of dorp and thorp.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A village in a German-speaking area.

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

In some cases from German Dorf and in others from the cognate Yiddish דאָרף (dorf). Doublet of dorp and thorp.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "de:Dorf",
        "tree": "+",
        "id": "village"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"German\", \"term\" : \"Dorf\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"de\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"dorf\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"village\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"dorf\" id=\"English:_village\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "de",
        "3": "Dorf"
      },
      "expansion": "German Dorf"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yi",
        "3": "דאָרף"
      },
      "expansion": "Yiddish דאָרף (dorf)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dorp",
        "3": "thorp"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of dorp and thorp"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "de:Dorf",
        "tree": "+",
        "id": "village"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *treb-\nProto-Indo-European *trab-\nProto-Germanic *þurpą\nProto-West Germanic *þorp\nOld High German dorf\nMiddle High German dorf\nGerman Dorfbor.\nEnglish dorf"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Dorf",
      "Dorf#German"
    ],
    [
      "דאָרף",
      "דאָרף#Yiddish"
    ],
    [
      "dorp",
      "dorp#English"
    ],
    [
      "thorp",
      "thorp#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A village in a German-speaking area."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

freak. · A dwarf.

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

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *dwergaz Proto-West Germanic *dwerg Old English dweorg Middle English dwergh English dwarfder. English dorf Changed from dwarf.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "dwarf",
        "id": "dwarf",
        "tree": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Germanic *dwergaz\nProto-West Germanic *dwerg\nOld English dweorg\nMiddle English dwergh\nEnglish dwarfder.\nEnglish dorf\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*dwergaz\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*dwerg\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"dweorg\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"dwergh\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"dwarf\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"dorf\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"dwarf\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"dorf\" id=\"English:_dwarf\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "dwarf",
        "id": "dwarf",
        "tree": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Germanic *dwergaz\nProto-West Germanic *dwerg\nOld English dweorg\nMiddle English dwergh\nEnglish dwarfder.\nEnglish dorf"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*dwergaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/dwergaz"
    ],
    [
      "*dwerg",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/dwerg"
    ],
    [
      "dweorg",
      "dweorg#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "dwergh",
      "dwergh#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "dwarf",
      "dwarf#English"
    ],
    [
      "dwarf",
      "dwarf#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "freak.",
        "A dwarf."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly",
        "humorous"
      ],
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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 dorf →

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-ZG9yZg