derthe

Middle English

Alternative forms

derth, derþ, derþe, dierþe, dyrthe

Etymology

From West Saxon Old English *dīerþ, *dīerþu and Anglian Old English *dēorþ, *dēorþu, from Proto-West Germanic *diuriþu, from Proto-Germanic *diuriþō; equivalent to dere +‎ -the (abstract nominal suffix).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈdɛrθ(ə)/, /ˈdirθ(ə)/, /ˈdɛːrθ(ə)/, /ˈdeːrθ(ə)/, /-ð(ə)/
(Late ME also) IPA^(key): /ˈdarθ(ə)/

Noun

derthe (uncountable)

A period or condition when food is rare and hence expensive; famine.
(by extension) Scarcity; a lack or short supply (of a specified thing)
(rare) Amazingness, success, magnificence.

Descendants

English: dearth
Scots: dearth, darth, deart, daart

References

“derth(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-06-30.

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.