kärv

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse þjarfr, from Proto-Germanic *þerbaz. Arguably related, more distantly, to Icelandic stjarfi (“tetanus”), German sterben (“to die”), Russian терпкий (terpkij, “astringent, tart, acerbic”).

Adjective

kärv (comparative kärvare, superlative kärvast)

1. harsh, rough, rugged

   Synonyms: sträv, karg, butter

2. (figuratively) harsh, difficult (of a situation)

Declension

Inflection of kärv

Indefinite	positive	comparative	superlative1
common singular	kärv	kärvare	kärvast
neuter singular	kärvt	kärvare	kärvast
plural	kärva	kärvare	kärvast
masculine plural2	kärve	kärvare	kärvast
Definite	positive	comparative	superlative
masculine singular3	kärve	kärvare	kärvaste
all	kärva	kärvare	kärvaste

¹ The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
² Dated or archaic.
³ Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

Derived terms

• kärva
• kärvhet

References

• kärv in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• kärv in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• kärv in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
• kärv in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)

Anagrams

• kräv, vräk, värk