Hof

See also: hof, and hóf

German

Alternative forms

• Hoff (in family names, otherwise obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle High German hof, from Old High German hof, from Proto-Germanic *hufą (“hill, farm”). See there for cognates.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hoːf/
• IPA^(key): /hɔf/

• audio (Austria):

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

Hof m (genitive Hofes or Hofs, plural Höfe, diminutive Höfchen n)

1. yard, court, courtyard (open area by a house or enclosed by houses)

   Der Hof hinter unserm Haus ist mit Schiefer gepflastert.

   The yard behind our house is paved with slate.

2. court (residence and entourage of a nobleman)

   Am Hof des Königs gab es ständige Intrigen.

   There were constant intrigues at the king's court.

3. farmyard (central area of a farm, excluding the fields)

   Das Essen wird den Arbeitern ins Feld gebracht, damit sie erst abends auf den Hof zurückkommen müssen.

   The workers are served food in the fields, so that they needn’t come back to the farmyard before the evening.

4. (by extension) farm, agricultural enterprise

   Wenn mein Sohn den Hof nicht übernimmt, muss ich verkaufen.

   If my son doesn’t take over the farm, I’ll have to sell it.

Derived terms

• Autohof
• Bahnhof
• Bauernhof
• Friedhof
• Gasthof
• Gehöft
• Gerichtshof
• Hofgarten
• Hofkammer
• höflich
• Rasthof
• Vorhof

 

Proper noun

Hof n (genitive Hofs)

1. A city in Bavaria

Further reading

• “Hof” in Duden online

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Norwegian Bokmål

Proper noun

Hof

1. A former municipality of Vestfold, Norway, which was merged into Holmestrand municipality on 1 January 2018.

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Proper noun

Hof

1. A former municipality of Vestfold, Norway, which was merged into Holmestrand municipality on 1 January 2018.

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Pennsylvania German

Etymology

From Old High German hof, from Proto-Germanic *hufą (“hill, farm”). Compare German Hof.

Noun

Hof m (plural Heef)

1. yard
2. farm place