古英語の turf, mud, turf から、原ゲルマン語*turb, mud, turf から、PIE*drebh, roll up, to press down から。芝、ギャングの縄張り争いから派生。
英語の語源
turf
turf: [OE] Turf is a general Germanic word. It goes back to a prehistoric Germanic *turb-, which also produced German torf ‘peat’, Dutch turf, Swedish torf, and Danish t?rv, and was borrowed into the Romance languages, giving French tourbe, Italian torba, and Spanish turba. Its ultimate source was the Indo-European base *drbh-.
turf (n.)
Old English turf, tyrf "slab of soil and grass, sod," also "surface of grassland," from Proto-Germanic *turb- (cognates: Old Norse torf, Danish t?rv, Old Frisian turf, Old High German zurba, German Torf), from PIE root *drebh- "to wind, compress" (cognates: Sanskrit darbhah "tuft of grass").
Especially "the race course," hence the turf "the profession of racing horses" (1755). French tourbe "turf" is a Germanic loan-word. The Old English plural was identical with the singular, but in Middle English turves sometimes was used. Slang meaning "territory claimed by a gang" is attested from 1953 in Brooklyn, N.Y.; earlier it had a jive talk sense of "the street, the sidewalk" (1930s), which is attested in hobo use from 1899, and before that "the work and venue of a prostitute" (1860). Turf war is recorded from 1962.
turf (v.)
early 15c., "to cover (ground) with turf," from turf (n.). Related: Turfed; turfing.
例文
1. On its home turf ，the combined bank would be unrivalled.
そのユニオンバンクは自分の地盤には匹敵しない。
2.Their turf was Paris：its streets，theaters，homes，and parks.
パリは彼らの縄張りである：そこでよく知っている通り、劇場、住宅、公園。
3.He squelched across the turf .
彼は芝生をぷかぷか歩いた。
4.a vicious turf war between rival gangs of drug dealers
対立麻薬密売グループ間の猛烈なマージン
5. Turf wars are inevitable when two departments are merged.