hof

See also: Hof, HOF, Hoff, and hóf

English

Etymology 1

Borrowed from German Hof. Doublet of howff.

Noun

hof (plural hofs)

1. Enclosure, court, dwelling, building, house.
   • 1993 May, Trevor William, “Jake's Castle”, in Harper's Magazine:

     Ulrike lived in a farm hof, and all around me were the dark blank fields punctuated by a few disparate lights.

   • 2009, Chloe Aridjis, Book of Clouds, 1st edition, New York: Black Cat:

     Like many old houses, this one had a front section, where I lived, and at the back an interior courtyard, the Hof, enclosed on all three sides by more apartments.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Old Norse hof or Old English hof, reinforced in modern (post-1990, chiefly neopagan) use by Icelandic hof (“shrine, temple”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: hōf, IPA^(key): /hoʊf/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -oʊf

Noun

hof (plural hofs)

1. (Germanic paganism) temple, sanctuary, hall.
   • 1996, Varg Vikernes, cited after Gardell, Gods of the Blood, published 2003, page 307:

     For each ten churches burned to ashes, one heathen hof is avenged.

   • 2005, Michael Strmiska, Modern Paganism In World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives, page 170:

     Asatruarfelagid lacks a central religious temple, or hof in Icelandic. Constructing a hof has been high on the members' wish list for many years.

   • 2014 November 18, Stubba, The Book of Blots‎^[1], page 102:

     The Candidate for membership of Hof, Garth or Hearth shall hold an Armill, or he may touch an unsheathed Sword throughout the ceremony.

Synonyms

• garth

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Korean 호프 (hopeu), in turn from German Hofbräuhaus. In English, the spelling has been re-aligned with the Korean term's etymon.

Noun

hof (plural hofs)

1. A Korean-style bar or pub.
   • 2009 January 4, Adam B. Ellick, “In Queens: A Melting Pot, and a Closed Book”, in New York Times‎^[2]:

     To the south are Korean spas, Korean barbecue joints and hofs, or Korean pubs.

Anagrams

• FOH, foh

Cimbrian

Alternative forms

• hoff (Sette Comuni)

Etymology

From Middle High German and Old High German hof, from Proto-West Germanic *hof, from Proto-Germanic *hufą. Cognate with German Hof.

Noun

hof m

1. (Luserna) garden

Further reading

• Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hɔf/, [ˈhʌf]

Etymology 1

From Middle Low German hof, from Old Saxon hof, from Proto-West Germanic *hof, from Proto-Germanic *hufą, cognate with German Hof (“yard, court, farmyard”), Dutch hof (“yard, court, garden”), Old Norse hof (“shrine; court”). Doublet of hov (“shrine, temple”).

Noun

hof n (singular definite hoffet, plural indefinite hoffer)

1. court (family and society of a sovereign)
2. admirers

Declension

Declension of hof

neuter gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	hof	hoffet	hoffer	hofferne
genitive	hofs	hoffets	hoffers	hoffernes

References

• “hof” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “Hof,1” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Etymology 2

Clipping of hofpilsner, from hof (“court”) +‎ pilsner (“lager beer”).

Noun

hof c (singular definite hoffen, plural indefinite hof)

1. Carlsberg beer

Declension

Declension of hof

common gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	hof	hoffen	hof	hoffene
genitive	hofs	hoffens	hofs	hoffenes

References

• “Hof,2” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch hof, from Old Dutch *hof, from Proto-West Germanic *hof, from Proto-Germanic *hufą.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɦɔf/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: hof
• Rhymes: -ɔf
• Homophone: Hof

Noun

hof n or m (plural hoven, diminutive hofje n)

1. court, residence of a monarch or other high-placed person
2. court, entourage of a monarch or other high-placed person
3. court of law; short form of gerechtshof
4. court, yard
5. (Belgium) garden

Derived terms

• arbitragehof
• begijnhof
• gerechtshof
• het hof maken
• hof van beroep
• hof van cassatie
• hoffelijk
• hofleverancier
• Hofstad
• hoofs
• hoveling
• kerkhof
• lusthof
• rekenhof
• tepelhof

Descendants

• Afrikaans: hof
• Negerhollands: hofje, hofi, hoffie (from the diminutive)
• → Papiamentu: hòfi, hoffie (from the diminutive)

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse hof, from Proto-Germanic *hufą.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hɔːv/
• Rhymes: -ɔːv

Noun

hof n (genitive singular hofs, nominative plural hof)

1. shrine, typically in a home on farm; by extension a temple

Declension

Declension of hof (neuter)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	hof	hofið	hof	hofin
accusative	hof	hofið	hof	hofin
dative	hofi	hofinu	hofum	hofunum
genitive	hofs	hofsins	hofa	hofanna

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch *hof.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hɔf/

Noun

hof n or m

1. court, enclosed space
2. garden
3. farmstead
4. castle (court of the nobility)

Inflection

Strong masculine noun

	singular	plural
nominative	hof	hōve
accusative	hof	hōve
genitive	hofs, hōofs, hōves	hōve
dative	hōve	hōven

Strong neuter noun

	singular	plural
nominative	hof	hōve
accusative	hof	hōve
genitive	hofs, hōofs, hōves	hōve
dative	hōve	hōven

Derived terms

• hōvesch

Descendants

• Dutch: hof
  • Afrikaans: hof
  • Negerhollands: hofje, hofi, hoffie (from the diminutive)
  • → Papiamentu: hòfi, hoffie (from the diminutive)
• Limburgish: haof, hoof
• → Scots: howf, hauf, houf, houff, houffe, hooff, howff
  • → English: howf

Further reading

• “hof”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “hof (II)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page II

Old English

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Germanic *hof, from Proto-Germanic *hufą.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xof/, [hof]

Noun

hof n (nominative plural hofu)

1. court, hall
2. house, building

Declension

Strong a-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	hof	hofu
accusative	hof	hofu
genitive	hofes	hofa
dative	hofe	hofum

Derived terms

• ġiesthof

Descendants

• Middle English: *hof, *hove
  • Scots: hoff, howf, hoif, hoiff
  • ⇒ Middle English: hovel, hovil, hovylle (diminutive)
    • English: hovel

See also

• ærn n
• hūs n

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *hōfaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xoːf/, [hoːf]

Noun

hōf m

1. a hoof

Declension

Strong a-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	hōf	hōfas
accusative	hōf	hōfas
genitive	hōfes	hōfa
dative	hōfe	hōfum

Descendants

• English: hoof

Old Frisian

Etymology 1

Ēn hof.

From Proto-West Germanic *hof, from Proto-Germanic *hufą, from Proto-Indo-European *kewp- (“to bend”). Cognates include Old English hof, Old Saxon hof and Old Dutch *hof.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhof/

Noun

hof n

1. court

Descendants

• North Frisian: hof, höf, haaf
• Saterland Frisian: Hoaf
• West Frisian: hôf, hou

Etymology 2

Ēn hōf.

From Proto-Germanic *hōfaz, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱoph₂ós. Cognates include Old English hōf, Old Saxon hōf and Old Dutch *huof.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhoːf/

Noun

hōf m

1. hoof

Descendants

• Saterland Frisian: Houf, Houch
• West Frisian: hoef

References

• Bremmer, Rolf H. (2009) An Introduction to Old Frisian: History, Grammar, Reader, Glossary, Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, →ISBN

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *hufą (“hill, house, temple”).

Pronunciation

• (12th century Icelandic) IPA^(key): /ˈhov/

Noun

hof n (genitive hofs, plural hof)

1. (Germanic paganism) shrine, typically in a home of a farm
   • Vǫluspá, verse 7, lines 3-4, in 1860, T. Möbius, Edda Sæmundar hins fróða: mit einem Anhang zum Theil bisher ungedruckter Gedichte. Leipzig, page 2:

     […] þeir er hörg ok hof / hátimbruðu, […]

     […] they who shrines and temples / high timbered, […]

2. (rare) hall, house
   • Hymiskviða, verse 33, lines 3-4, in 1860, T. Möbius, Edda Sæmundar hins fróða: mit einem Anhang zum Theil bisher ungedruckter Gedichte. Leipzig, page 48:

     […] út or óru / ölkjól hofi. […]

     […] the ale-ship [CAULDRON] out from our house […]

3. (late) a royal court

Usage notes

Old Norse makes the distinction between hof "a hall, a sanctuary with a roof" and hǫrgr (“an altar, any cult site without a roof”). The prevalent meaning of hof in Old Norse literature is “temple, sanctuary”. Cleasby and Vigfússon (1874) note the generic meaning "a hall (as in German and Saxon)" in Hymiskviða 33 as a hapax legomenon. The meaning of “court” follows Middle High German and appears only from the 14th century and almost exclusively in compounds such as hof-ferð (“pride, pomp”), hof-garðr (“lordly mansion”), hof-folk (“courtiers”).

Declension

Declension of hof (strong a-stem)

neuter	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	hof	hofit	hof	hofin
accusative	hof	hofit	hof	hofin
dative	hofi	hofinu	hofum	hofunum
genitive	hofs	hofsins	hofa	hofanna

Coordinate terms

• hǫrgr
• vé

Derived terms

• blóthof (“heathen temple”)
• hofferð (“pride, pomp”)
• hofferðugr (“proud”)
• hoffrakt (“pomp”)
• hoffólk (“courtiers”)
• hofgarðr (“lordly mansion”)
• hofgoði (“temple-priest”)
• hofgrið (“asylum in a sanctuary”)
• hofgyðja (“priestess”)
• hofhelgr (“temple-feast”)
• hoflist (“pomp”)
• hoflýðr (“courtiers”)
• hofmaðr (“courtier”)
• hofmóðugr (“haughty”)
• hofprestr (“temple-priest”)
• hofsdyrr (“temple-doors”)
• hofseiðr (“temple-oath”)
• hofsgoði (“temple-priest”)
• hofshelgi (“sanctity of a temple”)
• hofshurð (“temple-door”)
• hofshǫfðingi (“temple-lord”)
• hofsmold (“temple mold, holy mold”)
• hofstaðr (“sanctuary”)
• hofsteigr (“strip of temple-land”)
• hoftollr (“temple-toll, rate”)
• hoftyft (“urbanity”)
• hofvaerk (“great feat”)
• hofþénari (“court servant”)

Descendants

• Icelandic: hof
• Faroese: hov
• Norwegian Nynorsk: hov
• Danish: hov
• Swedish: hov
• → English: hof

Further reading

• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “hof”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 206; also available at the Internet Archive
• Richard Cleasby, Guðbrandur Vigfússon (1874) “hof”, in An Icelandic-English Dictionary, 1st edition, Oxford: Oxford Clarendon Press, page 277

Old Saxon

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Germanic *hof, from Proto-Germanic *hufą.

Noun

hof n

1. dwelling, hovel, house
2. court, hall

Descendants

• Middle Low German: hof
  • German Low German: Hoff
  • Plautdietsch: Hoff
  • → Danish: hof
  • → Estonian: hoov
  • → Norwegian: hoff
  • → Old Swedish: hof
    • Swedish: hov, hof (up until the 1906 spelling reform)
      • → Finnish: hovi
      • → Finnish: huovi
    • → Finnish: hovi

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *hōfaz.

Noun

hōf m

1. a hoof

Swedish

Etymology 1

Noun

hof n

1. obsolete spelling of hov (“royal court”)

Declension

Declension of hof

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	hof	hofs
	definite	hofvet	hofvets
plural	indefinite	hof	hofs
	definite	hofven	hofvens

Etymology 2

Noun

hof c

1. obsolete spelling of hov (“hoof”)

Declension

Declension of hof

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	hof	hofs
	definite	hofven	hofvens
plural	indefinite	hofvar	hofvars
	definite	hofvarna	hofvarnas