Zunft

See also: zunft

German

Etymology

From Middle High German zunft, Old High German zumft, from Proto-Germanic *tumþiz (“guild”). Equivalent to an abstract verbal noun of ziemen; compare Kunft from kommen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tsʊnft/, [t͡sʊnft], (chiefly informal also) [t͡sʊɱft]

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Noun

Zunft f (genitive Zunft, plural Zünfte)

1. (historical) guild, especially of craftsmen
2. (chiefly in compounds) all of those who practice some craft or (humorous) any profession

Usage notes

• Historically, the predominant word for “guild” was Gilde in Low German, Innung in Central German, and Zunft in Upper German.
• In contemporary Standard German, the predominant use is Gilde for historic merchant guilds, Zunft for historic craftsmen guilds, and Innung for modern interest groups of craftspeople.

Declension

Declension of Zunft [feminine]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Zunft	die	Zünfte
genitive	einer	der	Zunft	der	Zünfte
dative	einer	der	Zunft	den	Zünften
accusative	eine	die	Zunft	die	Zünfte

Derived terms

• zünftig

See also

• Gilde
• Innung

Further reading

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