Ähre

See also: ahre and Ahre

German
Getreideähren — corn ears (from left to right: barley, wheat, rye) (1)
Die Ähre eines Grashalmes. — The head of a grass stalk. (2)

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle High German eher, äher n, from Old High German ehir, ahir, ahar n, from Proto-Germanic *ahaz n. The form with Ä- is Upper German, where -h- led to an open vowel through secondary (rather than primary) umlaut. The feminine form, in turn, is a chiefly Central German backformation from plural use.

Cognate with Dutch aar, West Frisian ier, English ear. Ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp, pointed”), whence also Ecke. Related with Latin aciēs, acus, Ancient Greek ἄκρος (ákros), Russian острый (ostryj).

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈɛːrə/, [ˈʔɛː.ʁə], [ˈʔeː.ʁə]
  • Audio(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛːʀə
  • Homophone: Ehre (many speakers, especially northern and eastern regions)

Noun

Ähre f (genitive Ähre, plural Ähren, diminutive Ährchen n)

  1. (botany, countable) the ear (of corn)
    Synonym: Getreideähre
  2. (botany, countable) the head, ear (of grass seed)
    Synonym: Grasähre
  3. (botany, countable) the spike (of a flower)
    Synonym: Blütenähre

Declension
Declension of Ähre [feminine]
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative eine die Ähre die Ähren
genitive einer der Ähre der Ähren
dative einer der Ähre den Ähren
accusative eine die Ähre die Ähren

Hypernyms

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Further reading
  • “Ähre” in Duden online
  • “Ähre” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
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