different between nef vs nerf

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /n?f/

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French nef. Doublet of nave and nau.

Noun

nef (plural nefs)

1. An extravagant table ornament and container used in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, made in the shape of a ship.

Synonyms

• cadenas

See also

• navicula

Etymology 2

Short for numerically effective; introduced by Miles Reid.

Adjective

nef (not comparable)

1. (algebraic geometry) Of a line bundle on a complete algebraic variety over a field: such that the degree of its restriction to every algebraic curve in the variety is non-negative.

Derived terms

• nefness

Anagrams

• ENF, fen

French

Etymology

From Middle French nef, from Old French nef, from Latin n?vis, n?vem, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *néh?us. Displaced by bateau and navire in the sense of "boat".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /n?f/

Noun

nef f (plural nefs)

1. (obsolete or poetic) barque, boat
2. nave

Related terms

• nacelle
• naval
• navire

See also

• barque
• vaisseau

Descendants

• ? Breton: nev

Further reading

• “nef” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse nef, from Proto-Germanic *nabj?. Cognate with English neb.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /n??v/
• Rhymes: -??v

Noun

nef n (genitive singular nefs, nominative plural nef)

1. nose
2. beak

Declension

Derived terms

• taka í nefið (to take snuff)
• fitja upp á nefið (to turn up one's nose)
• með nefið ofan í hvers manns koppi (nosy)
• stökkva upp á nef sér (to flare up, to get angry)
• neflaus
• hafa bein í nefinu

Mauritian Creole

Etymology

From French neuf.

Numeral

nef

1. nine

Adjective

nef

1. new

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French nef, from Latin n?vis, n?vem.

Noun

nef f (plural nefs or nefz)

1. boat; ship; watercraft

Descendants

• French: nef (obsolete or poetic)

Old French

Etymology

From Latin n?vis, n?vem.

Noun

nef f (oblique plural nés, nominative singular nef, nominative plural nés)

1. boat; ship; watercraft

Related terms

• nacele

Descendants

• Middle French: nef
  • French: nef (obsolete or poetic)

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *nabj?.

Noun

nef n (genitive nefs, plural nef)

1. nose
2. beak

Declension

Descendants

• Danish: næb
• Faroese: nev
• Icelandic: nef

Volapük

Noun

nef (nominative plural nefs)

1. nephew
2. niece

Declension

Welsh

Etymology

From Middle Welsh new, from Old Welsh nem, from Proto-Brythonic *ne??, from Proto-Celtic *nemos, from Proto-Indo-European *néb?os (“cloud”). Cognate with Breton neñv, Cornish nev and Irish neamh.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ne?v/

Noun

nef f (plural nefoedd, not mutable)

1. heaven

Synonyms

• nen

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /n?f/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /n??f/
• Rhymes: -??(?)f

Etymology 1

Circa 1950s? (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

nerf (third-person singular simple present nerfs, present participle nerfing, simple past and past participle nerfed)

1. (motor racing, transitive) To bump lightly, whether accidentally or purposefully.

   A racer will often nerf another as a psychological tactic.

Derived terms

• nerf bar
• nerf net

Etymology 2

From the Nerf brand of toys designed as non-dangerous counterparts of existing things, such as sports balls and guns.

Verb

nerf (third-person singular simple present nerfs, present participle nerfing, simple past and past participle nerfed)

1. (transitive, slang, video games) To cripple or weaken an element of a video game during its development (such as a character, a weapon, a spell, etc.).

   Synonym: gimp

   The lightning spell was originally pretty powerful, but in the sequel they nerfed it so it became completely useless.

2. (transitive, slang) To arbitrarily limit or reduce the capability of.

Derived terms

• stealth nerf

Synonyms

• debuff, worsen, deteriorate, cripple, declaw, defang, degenerate

Antonyms

• ameliorate, buff (game slang), improve, renew, renovate, revamp

Noun

nerf (plural nerfs)

1. (slang, video games) The deterioration, weakening or worsening of a character, a weapon, a spell, etc.

Anagrams

• Fern, fern, fren, fren'

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /n?rf/
• Hyphenation: nerf
• Rhymes: -?rf

Etymology 1

From earlier nerve, from Middle Dutch *narwe, either inherited from Old Dutch *narwa or borrowed from Middle Low German narwe, eventually from Proto-Germanic *narw?, from earlier *arwaz (“scar”).

For the change of -rwe ? -rf, compare verf. Cognate with German Narbe (“scar”).

Noun

nerf f (plural nerven, diminutive nerfje n)

1. grain of wood
2. (dated) a similar line in leather, paper, etc.

Derived terms

• houtnerf

Etymology 2

From Latin nervus. The botanic sense belongs historically to this word, but is semantically close to etymology 1 and hence not necessarily felt as a distinct word.

Noun

nerf f (plural nerven, diminutive nerfje n)

1. (obsolete) nerve

   Synonym: zenuw

2. (botany) vein of a leaf

Derived terms

• bladnerf

References

French

Etymology

From Middle French nerf, from Old French nerf, inherited from Latin nervus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /n??/

Noun

nerf m (plural nerfs)

1. (anatomy) nerve
2. (figuratively) force, power, strength

   Les nerfs, les garçons! On n'est pas sur un bateau de plaisance. — Put some muscle into it, boys! We are not on a pleasure boat!

Derived terms

Related terms

• neurone

Further reading

• “nerf” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French nerf.

Noun

nerf m (plural nerfz)

1. nerve

Descendants

• French: nerf

Old French

Etymology

From Latin nervus.

Noun

nerf m (oblique plural ners, nominative singular ners, nominative plural nerf)

1. nerve

Related terms

• nerveus

Descendants

• Middle French: nerf
  • French: nerf

Welsh

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin nervus (“nerve”), from Latin nervus (“sinew”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /n?rv/

Noun

nerf f (plural nerfau, not mutable)

1. nerve

Derived terms

• nerfol
• nerfus