Earp

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Wyatt Berry Stapp, the American frontier lawman famous for his role in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral
2. The American peace officer and gambler of the Old West, best known for the 1881 shootout in Tombstone, Arizona
3. A legendary figure of the American frontier, a lawman and gambler remembered for the gunfight at Tombstone

Etymology: The origin of this word is uncertain. One proposal links it to Old English "eorp", meaning "swarthy", which in turn may descend from the Proto-Germanic "erpaz", meaning "light brown". If that connection holds, a word for a dark or light complexion would have shifted to a sound of complaint, though no source records the steps between. Another suggestion looks to geography rather than a root: the word may be connected to the place names Ypres in Belgium or Erpe in the Netherlands. Neither link is confirmed, and the two proposals point in different directions, so the word's history remains unresolved.