graaf

From Dutch graaf. Doublet of graf and grave.

graaf (plural graafs)

1. A Dutch earl or count.
   • 1847, J[acob] van Lennep, translated by Frank Woodley, The Rose of Dekama; or, The Friesian Heiress. A Tale. (The Library of Foreign Romance, and Novel Newspaper: Comprising Standard English Works of Fiction, and Original Translations from the Most Celebrated Continental Authors, volume VIII), London: Bruce and Wyld, , page 36, column 1:

     The knights of St. John once had here their dwelling, or commandery, as it was called, but had removed in 1312 to a new building within the city of Haarlem, where they were richly endowed by Graaf William the Good, who also conferred on them numerous privileges, of which not the least was, that the commander of the order should thenceforth be the host of the graafs.

   • 1976, Christopher Matthew, A Different World: Stories of Great Hotels, Paddington Press Ltd., →ISBN, page 17:

     However, when I tell you that the Queen of England and the Duke of Edinburgh were there, and the King of Norway, and the Shah of Persia and Queen Farah Diba, and the Prince Michael of Greece, and Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, and Prince Bertil of Sweden, plus nearly fifty assorted princes and princesses, dukes, barons, graafs and gravins, meurows and heers, you will begin to see just how high a high point it was in the Amstel’s history.

   • 2012, Jesse Bullington, The Folly of the World, Orbit, →ISBN, page 231:

     And they always had an excuse, didn’t they? They, them, those—the rich men, the graafs and their bullyboys, the freemen, the knights, the mercenary chiefs, the militiamen, the lords and ladies… And now he was one of them. Would that he hadn’t drowned his old da, so the wicked asshole could have seen his son become a graaf before being hanged for whatever crimes Sander saw fit to charge him with.

   • 2016, Daniel O’Malley, Stiletto, New York, N.Y., Boston, Mass., London: Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, page 82:

     And so the graafs mounted their huge steeds and fled, breaking through the enemy lines.

graaf (plural grawe, diminutive grafie, feminine gravin)

1. earl, count

• graafskap

graaf (plural grawe, diminutive grafie)

1. shovel

• grawe

• IPA^(key): /ɣraːf/

• Audio:

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• Hyphenation: graaf
• Rhymes: -aːf

From Middle Dutch grâve, from Old Dutch grāvo, from Proto-West Germanic *garāfijō.

graaf m (plural graven, diminutive graafje n, feminine gravin)

1. earl, count

• burggraaf
• dijkgraaf
• graafschap
• gravin
• markgraaf
• paltsgraaf

• Negerhollands: grave

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

graaf m (plural grafen, diminutive graafje n)

1. (graph theory) graph

From French grave (“serious, grave”). Most likely influenced by Dutch erg which can mean "serious, grave" as well as "very".

graaf (comparative graafer, superlative graafst)

1. (slang, Belgium) cool (in the sense of nice or impressive)

   Skateboarden is graver dan inline-skaten! — Skateboarding is cooler than inline skating!

graaf

1. (slang, Belgium) very

   Dat is graaf duur. — That's very expensive.

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

graaf

1. inflection of graven:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. imperative

From Dutch graaf, German Graf.

• IPA^(key): /ɡɾaːf/

graaf

1. earl, count