Reif

See also: reif

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁaɪ̯f/

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

• Homophone: reif

Etymology 1

From Middle High German rīf(e), from Old High German rīfo, hrīfo, from Proto-West Germanic *hrīpō. Cognate with Dutch rijp. Likely related with (and possibly from a stem variant of) Proto-Germanic *hrīmô, whence English rime.

Noun

Reif m (strong, genitive Reifs or Reifes, no plural)

1. frost, hoar frost (cover of minute ice crystals on a surface)
   • Anton Wilhelm von Zuccalmaglio, "Es fiel ein Reif in der Frühlingsnacht".

     Es fiel ein Reif in der Frühlingsnacht,
     er fiel auf die bunten Blaublümelein,
     sie sind verwelket, verdorret.

     Hoarfrost fell in a night in spring,
     it fell on the colourful blue blossoms,
     they withered away, dried up.

Declension

Declension of Reif [sg-only, masculine, strong]

	singular
	indef.	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Reif
genitive	eines	des	Reifs, Reifes
dative	einem	dem	Reif, Reife1
accusative	einen	den	Reif

¹Now rare, see notes.

Derived terms

• Raureif

Etymology 2

From Middle High German reif, from Old High German reif (“belt, strap, cord, ring, hoop”), from Proto-West Germanic *raip, from Proto-Germanic *raipaz (“band, cord, strap”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁roypnós.

Doublet of nautical Reep (from Low German). Further cognate with Dutch reep, English rope, Icelandic reipi.

Noun

Reif m (strong or mixed, genitive Reifs or Reifes, plural Reife or Reifen)

1. (chiefly in compounds, otherwise higher register) any ring-shaped piece of jewelry
2. archaic form of Reifen (“hoop, tyre”)

Declension

Declension of Reif [masculine, strong // mixed]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Reif	die	Reife, Reifen
genitive	eines	des	Reifs, Reifes	der	Reife, Reifen
dative	einem	dem	Reif, Reife1	den	Reifen
accusative	einen	den	Reif	die	Reife, Reifen

¹Now rare, see notes.

Derived terms

• Armreif
• Fußreif
• Haarreif
• Reifen

Further reading

• “Reif”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎^[1] (in German)

Hunsrik

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /raɪ̯f/

Noun

Reif m (plural Reif)

1. frost

Related terms

• reife

Further reading

• Boll, Piter Kehoma (2021), “Reif”, in Dicionário Hunsriqueano Riograndense–Português, 3rd edition (overall work in Portuguese), Ivoti: Riograndenser Hunsrickisch

Plautdietsch

Etymology

Backformation from the plural, from German Reifen, from Proto-West Germanic *raip (“band, strip”).

Noun

Reif f (plural Reifen)

1. tire (rubber)