etymology - Erf as term for plot of land in a town or city. Is this word only used in southern Africa?


The Free Dictionary website states and so does Wikipedia:



erf [ɜːf]
n pl erven [ˈɜːvən]
(Engineering / Civil Engineering) South African a plot of land, usually urban, marked off for building purposes
[Afrikaans]



The term erf is used in legal documentation and technical English throughout South Africa and Namibia, maybe even further afield in the region.


Is it used anywhere else, except maybe the Dutch/Flemish regions in Europe, where I assume the term originated?


An example:



The client purchased Erf 132, Windhoek for a large sum of money. He intends to build a house on this erf.



The capitalisation of "Erf 132" is commonplace, since it is a definition of a location. This is similar to capitalisation of towns or cities. I find it slightly awkward, but that is how it is done.



Answer



It's listed in ODO as South African, which does indicate localisation to southern Africa.



erf Pronunciation: /əːf/ noun (plural erfs or erven /ˈəːv(ə)n/)
South African
a plot of land.


Origin:
Dutch, originally in the sense 'inheritance'



It's likely only to be used in places with a significant Dutch heritage, and in this sense only in Afrikaans-speaking areas or where Afrikaans speakers have a significant influence. It's not used in British English.


For other areas, I'd suggest plot as ODO uses for British English; perhaps lot could also be used in American English. In specifying a particular purchase, BrE certainly would say "The client purchased Plot 132."


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