English

Alternative forms

• darf

Verb

tharf ‎(third-person singular simple present tharf, present participle thurving or tharving, simple past thurft or tharved, past participle -)

1. (transitive, intransitive, obsolete) To need; lack.

Etymology 2

From Middle English therf, from Old English þeorf ‎(“unleavened, fresh, skim”), from Proto-Germanic *þerbaz ‎(“unleavened, simple”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)terbh-, *(s)trebh- ‎(“rigid, stiff, tight”). Cognate with German derb ‎(“rough, coarse, rude”), Old Frisian therve, Middle Dutch derf, Middle High German derp, Icelandic þjarfur ‎(“unleavened”).

Adjective

tharf ‎(comparative more tharf, superlative most tharf)

1. (obsolete) Unleavened.
2. (obsolete) Stiff, unsocial, rough in manner.

   A thraf person.‎

Derived terms

• tharf-cake
• tharcake
• tharfish

References

• The Dictionary of the Scots Language

Old Saxon

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ðarf/

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *þarbō; cognate with Old English þearf, Old High German darba, Old Icelandic þörf, Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐍂𐌱𐌰 ‎(þarba). Compare thurvan.

Noun

tharf f ‎(genitive tharvo)

1. need, lack, necessity

Declension

Related terms

• tharfag