terp
English
Pronunciation
- (General American) IPA(key): /tɝp/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /tɜːp/
Audio (AU) (file) - Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)p
Etymology 1
Clipping of interpreter.
Noun
terp (plural terps)
- (military or Deaf slang) An interpreter (person who translates).
- 1994 September 15, Tom Lyczko, “Comments on ASL Interpreter Position Description”, in DEAF-L mailing list, message-ID <Pine.3.89.9409151534.A19989-0100000@gamera.syr.edu>:
- I don't think it's at all appropriate to hire a terp to review your correspondences, reports, grammar, tone, style, etc. It is completely YOUR responsibility to perform effective written communication tasks.
- 2003 November 27, Paul Watson, “Losing Its Few Good Men”, in Los Angeles Times:
- But for troops in the new Afghan army, there is a particular irritant: Afghan interpreters working with U.S. soldiers — called terps by troops in the field — can earn more than an Afghan army officer.
- 2013, Marc Dauphin, Combat Doctor: Life and Death Stories from Kandahar's Military Hospital, Toronto: Dundurn Press, →ISBN, page 197:
- We don't understand what he's saying, of course, but he looks like he knows what he's saying. There's a certain something that emanates from a confused patient that this fellow doesn't have. I sure wish I had more 'terps. Well, we're not going to CT him right away.
-
- (computing, slang) An interpreter (program that parses and executes another program).
- 2001 July 23, Fillmore, “Z-Machine terp”, in rec.arts.int-fiction, Usenet, message-ID <6j177.12538$Iz3.3461071@news2-win.server.ntlworld.com>:
- So, I'm writing a Z-Machine terp. It is not done. It's getting there. Now, I have some ideas of things I would like this terp to do, but I thought it might be a nice idea to find out if there are any features that other people on this newsgroup would like in a Z-Machine terp.
- 2009 September 15, Dannii, “IF System Idea”, in rec.arts.int-fiction, Usenet, message-ID <15cd3135-0302-421e-be03-d40a5dbb1645@m7g2000prd.googlegroups.com>:
- As far as I know all the TADS terps are just ports of the original.
-
Alternative forms
- 'terp
Etymology 2
Clipping of terpene.
Noun
terp (plural terps)
- Any of various essential oils containing monoterpene alcohols which are added to a henna mix to darken the color.
Verb
terp (third-person singular simple present terps, present participle terping, simple past and past participle terped)
- (transitive) To add such an essential oil to (a henna mix).
Etymology 3
Clipping of Terpsichore, the goddess of dance and the dramatic chorus in Greek mythology.
Noun
terp (countable and uncountable, plural terps)
- (dated, slang) Dance.
- 1946 December 14, “Broadway Openings: If the Shoe Fits”, in The Billboard, volume 58, number 50, page 48:
- In the terp section, Barbara Perry, last here in a straight role in Swan Song, scores smartly as a dancer, and lanky Jack Williams holds down the other lead stepping slot with his intricate tap routines. Dancing is overall excellent, but as noted above, there is too much of it.
-
Derived terms
- terpery
Verb
terp (third-person singular simple present terps, present participle terping, simple past and past participle terped)
- (transitive, dated, slang) To dance.
- 1946 December 14, Frank Gill, “Jooss Ballet Juice In Return to B'way”, in The Billboard, volume 58, number 50, page 48:
- Longhair terping got another boost around these parts Tuesday (3) when the Jooss Ballet returned to the New York City Center for a three-week stint. Heavy balletomane audience was on hand, generous in its applause welcoming back this unique troupe after a five-year wartime absence.
-
Etymology 4
![](Images/wiktionary/Hallig_Hooge_2005.jpg.webp)
From Dutch terp (“terp”).
Noun
terp (plural terps or terpen)
- An artificial dwelling mound found on the North European Plain, created to provide safe ground during storm surges, high tides and sea or river flooding.
- 1898, The Outlook, volume 60, page 281:
- Most Dutch cities began on a terp or artificial mound to which the prehistoric amphibious folk rushed for refuge when floods rolled in.
-
Further reading
Terp (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Anagrams
- -pter, PERT, pert, pret., rept-
Dutch
Etymology
Borrowed from West Frisian terp, from Old Frisian therp, from Proto-West Germanic *þorp, from Proto-Germanic *þurpą, *þrepą (“village, farmstead, troop”), from Proto-Indo-European *treb- (“dwelling, room”). Doublet of dorp.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /tɛrp/
Audio (file) - Hyphenation: terp
- Rhymes: -ɛrp
Noun
terp m (plural terpen, diminutive terpje n)
- artificial mound or hillock used as shelter during high tide
Synonyms
- wierde
Derived terms
- Terpstra
Anagrams
- pret, rept
West Frisian
Etymology
From Old Frisian thorp, therp, from Proto-West Germanic *þorp. Doublet of doarp.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /tɛrp/
Noun
terp c (plural terpen, diminutive terpke)
- artificial mound or hillock used as shelter during high tide
- (archaic) village
- Synonym: doarp
Derived terms
- Terpstra
- in toponyms:
- Jousterp
- Lekkerterp
- Rytseterp
- Weinterp
Descendants
- → Dutch: terp
Further reading
- “terp”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011