viel Feind, viel Ehr

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German[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Literally, “many foes, much honour”. The forms viel Feind for viele Feinde and Ehr for Ehre reflect Early Modern German apocope, which was a general phenomenon in the majority of dialects, but only partially established itself in the written standard.

Proverb[edit]

viel Feind, viel Ehr

  1. the more enemies one has, the more honour one is due (for example, because it proves one to be independent and upright)