corf

[ kawrf ]

/ kɔrf /

noun, plural corves [kawrvz] /kɔrvz/. British.

Mining.

a small wagon for carrying coal, ore, etc.
a wicker basket formerly used for this purpose.

a basket, cage, or boxlike structure with perforations for keeping lobsters or fish alive in water.

Nearby words

Origin of corf

1350–1400; Middle English < Middle Dutch (cognate with German Korb) < Latin corbis basket; cf. corbeil

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for corf

I bought no end o' lozengers and things off the barrers, as they sez cures a corf in no time; but they didn't do me a bit o' good.
Rogues and Vagabonds|George R. Sims
A corf is a large basket used for carrying coals or other minerals in a mine.
Miscellanea|Juliana Horatia Ewing
While I was loading my corf, he asked me if I should like to have him for a father-in-law.
The Mysteries of London, v. 1/4|George W. M. Reynolds
At Corf a Turkish pacha came on board with his harem, to our lively interest.
Julia Ward Howe|Laura E. Richards

They reached Corf, hanged Liovecchio and planted a garrison there.
Venice and its Story|Thomas Okey

British Dictionary definitions for corf

corf

/ (kɔːf) /

noun plural corves

British a wagon or basket used formerly in mines

Word Origin for corf

C14: from Middle Dutch corf or Middle Low German korf, probably from Latin corbis basket

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012