*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of orf

From Old Norse hrufa (“scab”), from Proto-Germanic *hreubaz (whence also dandruff).

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

An exanthemous disease caused by a parapox virus, occurring primarily in sheep and goats but also capable of infecting humans.

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

From Old Norse hrufa (“scab”), from Proto-Germanic *hreubaz (whence also dandruff).

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.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "non",
        "2": "hrufa",
        "3": "",
        "4": "scab"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse hrufa (“scab”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*hreubaz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *hreubaz"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "hrufa",
      "hrufa#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "*hreubaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hreubaz"
    ],
    [
      "dandruff",
      "dandruff#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An exanthemous disease caused by a parapox virus, occurring primarily in sheep and goats but also capable of infecting humans."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "3ac08fe53cefe8fc18b9e0cf34f019c3308a2bc78cfeb3d72dee500b4f02eaf7",
      "rawRecordSha256": "77b1c4a0687d03db8d4ed61c468a8ac8858a16e32bff599fed7913a843d0fa74",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 3277021
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Alternative form of orfe (“type of fish”).

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

See orfe.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "orfe",
      "orfe#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of orfe (“type of fish”)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ],
      "recordId": "d6b35ce93fddbe27b97398b17a4c4dce37b35381be36babe37e4a2fa17654b92",
      "rawRecordSha256": "1414edbe8e529170074b332decf0d700834f0e0a09efa25f102b379cbc0900b0",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 3277022
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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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 orf →

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-b3Jm