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 and central Germany)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ant
• Homophone: fand (regional)

Noun

Pfand n or m (strong, genitive Pfandes or Pfands, plural Pfänder)

1. pawn
2. pledge
3. 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.

Declension

Declension of Pfand [neuter // masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	das, der	Pfand	die	Pfänder
genitive	eines	des	Pfandes, Pfands	der	Pfänder
dative	einem	dem	Pfand, Pfande1	den	Pfändern
accusative	ein, einen	das, den	Pfand	die	Pfänder

¹Now rare, see notes.

Derived terms

• pfänden, verpfänden

Related terms

• Pfandbrief, Pfandflasche, Pfandgebühr, Pfandgeld, Pfandhaus, Pfandrecht, Pfandsystem, Unterpfand

Further reading

• “Pfand” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Pfand” in Duden online