Pferch

German

Etymology

From Middle High German pferrich, from Old High German pherrich (“fence, enclosure”), from Proto-West Germanic *parrik (“fence, enclosure”).

Akin to Old English pearruc (“enclosure, paddock, fence”), Old Norse parrak (“enclosure, pond”), Old French parc. German Park is a doublet. See English park and paddock for more.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pfɛrç/
  • IPA^(key): [pfɛʁç], [pfɛɐ̯ç] (careful standard)
  • IPA^(key): [fɛʁç], [fɛɐ̯ç] (northern Germany, central Germany)
  • IPA^(key): [pfɛrç], [pfɛrx], [pfɛɐ̯x] (some southern accents)

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

Pferch m (strong, genitive Pferches or Pferchs, plural Pferche)

1. a small, fenced-in plot of land, usually for livestock; a pen; a fold

Declension

Declension of Pferch [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Pferch	die	Pferche
genitive	eines	des	Pferches, Pferchs	der	Pferche
dative	einem	dem	Pferch, Pferche1	den	Pferchen
accusative	einen	den	Pferch	die	Pferche

¹Now rare, see notes.

Further reading

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