Pfand
German
Etymology
From Middle High German phant, from Old High German phant. Only found in continental Germanic languages (Dutch pand, and Swedish pant) and of unresolved origin, various Latin sources have been suggested: Latin pāctum (“agreement”) under the supposition of a Low Latin *pantum from *panctum, or a pondus (“weight”) borrowed so early that it preceded the change from Indo-European o to a in Germanic.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /pfant/ (standard)
- IPA(key): /fant/ (northern Germany, central Germany)
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -ant
- Homophone: fand (regional)
Noun
Pfand n or m (strong, genitive Pfandes or Pfands, plural Pfänder)
- pawn
- pledge
- can or bottle deposit
- Hyponyms: Becherpfand, Flaschenpfand, Dosenpfand
Usage notes
The commonly used gender for the noun is neuter in Germany and Switzerland and masculine in Austria. In recent years the masculine form has seen an increase in usage in Germany, especially in the East.[1]
Declension
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Derived terms
Related terms
- Pfandbrief, Pfandflasche, Pfandgebühr, Pfandgeld, Pfandhaus, Pfandrecht, Pfandsystem, Unterpfand
References
- Matthias Schmidt (2015-11-09), “Die Deutschen haben entschieden: Es heißt DIE E-Mail”, in YouGov: What the world thinks (in German), retrieved 2021-07-26: “Während in der alten Bundesrepublik drei von vier Befragten (73 Prozent) „das Pfand“ sagen und nur jeder Vierte „der Pfand“, liegen die beiden Artikel im Osten fast gleichauf (der: 47 Prozent, das: 51 Prozent).”