delf

American  

[delf] / dɛlf /

noun

plural

delfs

1. British. in some dialects, a pit, trench, or ditch.

2. British. in Northern England, a small mine or quarry.

3. Heraldry. a device, conventionally in the form of a plain square, that represents a shovelful of turf. Compare billet.

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Example Sentences

The tablecloth, to be sure, was not exactly white, but it had been washed last week, and the collection of the plates was miscellaneous, exhibiting several of the choicest patterns of delf.

From Tales from "Blackwood," Volume 2 by Various

I'm sure we had before our eyes at different times every bit of china, delf, glass, and plate in the establishment.

From Can You Forgive Her? by Trollope, Anthony

Delf, delf, n. a contraction for Delft′ware, a kind of earthenware originally made at Delft, Holland.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

This kind is good for making coarse delf, and that kind is fit for fine porcelain.

From A Charming Fellow, Volume I (of 3) by Trollope, Frances Eleanor

You think, if you don't see a man in black behind your chair, and that you eat off delf instead of silver, that you are a miracle of simplicity.

From Roland Cashel Volume II (of II) by Lever, Charles James