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GERMAN · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

derb.

rough, coarse, rude

4 characters1 syllables approx.Deutsch language

Meaning & usage

adj/dɛʁp/[dɛʁp][dɛɐ̯p]

  1. rough, coarse, rude

  2. sturdy, tough

  3. pertaining to a manner of intercourse that is wittingly aggressive, purposefully unrefined – cocky, cheeky, flippant, brazen

  4. cool, very good

Where this word comes from

From a Low German merger of two unrelated adjectives: (1.) Old Saxon therbi (“unleavened”), from Proto-Germanic *þerbaz; and (2.) Old Saxon derbi (“coarse, warlike”). Both regularly collapsed in Middle Low German derve (“firm, bold”). Older High German had only the former of the two adjectives and lacked the other: Middle High German derp (“unleavened”), from Old High German derb (“unleavened”). The modern word is formally High German, but its semantic development has been determined by the Middle Low German one. (The original sense “unleavened” is last met with in the 18th century.)

adv/dɛʁp/[dɛʁp][dɛɐ̯p]

  1. Used as intensifier; very

Where this word comes from

From a Low German merger of two unrelated adjectives: (1.) Old Saxon therbi (“unleavened”), from Proto-Germanic *þerbaz; and (2.) Old Saxon derbi (“coarse, warlike”). Both regularly collapsed in Middle Low German derve (“firm, bold”). Older High German had only the former of the two adjectives and lacked the other: Middle High German derp (“unleavened”), from Old High German derb (“unleavened”). The modern word is formally High German, but its semantic development has been determined by the Middle Low German one. (The original sense “unleavened” is last met with in the 18th century.)

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.