korven

Korven are the plural form of the Dutch noun korf, meaning a basket or basket-like container. A korf is typically a woven container made from materials such as wicker, reed, or straw, used for carrying or storing items. In everyday Dutch, korven can refer to shopping baskets, laundry hampers, picnic baskets, or other woven containers with handles. The term is common in the Netherlands and parts of Belgium (Flanders), where baskets are used in markets, households, and crafts.

In Dutch sport, the word korf is also the object in korfball, a mixed-gender team sport invented in the Netherlands. A korf is a vertical basket mounted on a pole; players pass a ball and try to throw it through the korf to score. The sport’s name derives from the basket itself, not from a person or place, and plural references would be korven when speaking of multiple baskets.

Etymology: korf comes from Middle Dutch korf and is cognate with the German Korb; related forms exist in other Germanic languages. The plural korven follows regular Dutch plural formation.