zerp

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch sarp, from Old Dutch *sarp, from Proto-West Germanic *sarp. Cognate with Old High German sarf. Further etymology uncertain, but the word has been related to ἅρπη (hárpē, “bird of prey, sickle, scimitar”), Proto-Slavic *sьrpъ (“sickle”), apparently deriving from a Proto-Indo-European root with a meaning relating to sharpness.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zɛrp/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: zerp
• Rhymes: -ɛrp

Adjective

zerp (comparative zerper, superlative zerpst)

1. (dialectal) tangily sour

Declension

Declension of zerp
uninflected	zerp
inflected	zerpe
comparative	zerper
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		zerp	zerper	het zerpst het zerpste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	zerpe	zerpere	zerpste
	n. sing.	zerp	zerper	zerpste
	plural	zerpe	zerpere	zerpste
definite		zerpe	zerpere	zerpste
partitive		zerps	zerpers	—

Derived terms

• serpeling
• zerpen
• zerpheid
• zerpig
• zerpte
• zerpzoet

References

• van der Sijs, Nicoline, editor (2010), “zerp”, in Etymologiebank, Meertens Institute

Romansch

Alternative forms

• serp (Rumantsch Grischun, Puter, Vallader)
• siarp (Sursilvan)
• zearp (Sutsilvan)

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin serpe, serpes, from Latin serpēns.

Noun

zerp f (plural zerps)

1. (Surmiran) snake

Synonyms

• (Surmiran) serpent
• (Vallader) serpaint