What does "corf" mean?

A large basket, especially as used for coal.

What is a synonym for "corf"?

Common synonyms include: corb, fish cage, livewell.

//kɔːf// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A large basket, especially as used for coal.
"Why, I am simple as a pony, Sir […]?– born in a Drift, a Corf for my cradle, and nought but the Back-shift for Schoolmasters there […]?"
2
A container (basket, wooden box with holes etc.) used to store live fish underwater.
3
A wooden frame, sled, or low-wheeled wagon, to convey coal or ore in the mines.

"Why, I am simple as a pony, Sir […]?– born in a Drift, a Corf for my cradle, and nought but the Back-shift for Schoolmasters there […]?"

From Middle English corf, borrowed from Middle Low German korf or Middle Dutch korf, ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *korb.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.