Standard Lemma guide

zarf

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /zɑɹf/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /zɑːf/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An ornamental container designed to hold a coffee cup or teacup and insulate it from the hand of the drinker.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

an ornamental metal cup-shaped holder for a hot coffee cup

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: holder

History

Etymology

Likely borrowed from Ottoman Turkish ظَرْف (zarf), ultimately from Arabic ظَرْف (ẓarf). Also influenced by Classical Persian ظَرْف (zarf) and Hindustani (Hindi ज़र्फ़ (zarf) / Urdu ظَرْف (zarf)).