Kirchhof

German

Etymology

From Middle High German kirchhof (“land around a church”). Analyzable as Kirche (“church”) +‎ Hof (“yard”). The semantic development is determined by Middle Low German kerkhof, which came to mean “graveyard” because graveyards have traditionally tended to be established around churches. Compare the same in Dutch kerkhof (“graveyard”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈkɪʁçˌhoːf/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: Kirch‧hof
  • Rhymes: -oːf

Noun

Kirchhof m (strong, genitive Kirchhofes or Kirchhofs, plural Kirchhöfe)

  1. (dated, regional, Northern Germany) graveyard
    Synonym: Friedhof

Declension

Declension of Kirchhof [masculine, strong]
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative ein der Kirchhof die Kirchhöfe
genitive eines des Kirchhofes, Kirchhofs der Kirchhöfe
dative einem dem Kirchhof, Kirchhofe1 den Kirchhöfen
accusative einen den Kirchhof die Kirchhöfe

1Now rare, see notes.

Further reading

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