furfur

== English == === Etymology === From Latin furfur (“bran”), reduplication of *fur, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰur-, metathesis of *gʰrus- (compare Lithuanian grū́sti (“to grind (barley)”), Ancient Greek χρώς (khrṓs, “skin, husk”)). === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈfɜːfə/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈfɝfɚ/ === Noun === furfur (usually uncountable, plural furfures) (archaic, countable) a particle of dandruff (archaic, uncountable) dandruff === Anagrams === fru-fru, frufru, furrfu == Latin == === Etymology === Unknown. Traditionally explained as from Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- (“to rub, grind”), however as De Vaan notes the vowel /u/ would be unexplained; a preform *gʰur- ~ *ǵʰur- would be expected instead, but no such root exists. Compare Ancient Greek κέγχρος (kénkhros) and κάχρυς (kákhrus), which also relate to grains. Alternatively, cognate with Sanskrit बुस (busa, “chaff, refuse grain; rubbish”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰus-. In either of these cases, from a reduplicated root. Given the word's unusual form in the absence of a solid Indo-European explanation, borrowing from some unknown, perhaps substrate, source is likely. === Pronunciation === (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [ˈfʊr.fʊr] (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [ˈfur.fur] === Noun === furfur m (genitive furfuris); third declension bran, husks of grain, chaff scaly infection of the skin ==== Declension ==== Third-declension noun. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== Italian: forfora, forforo (Lucchese) Old French: fourfre Piedmontese: forfa, fòrfora Sardinian: frùffere, fùffere, fùrfaru → Catalan: fúrfur → English: furfur ⇒ furfuraceous → French: furfures === References === Rubattu, Antoninu (2006), “crusca”, in Dizionario universale della lingua di Sardegna, 2nd edition, Sassari: Edes Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “fŭrfŭr”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 3: D–F, page 895 === Further reading === “furfur”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press “furfur”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.