-keit

German

Etymology

Result of an etymologically wrong segmentation (rebracketing) of two suffixes in Upper German dialects of Middle High German: -ec (modern -ig) and -heit: -ec-heit was interpreted as -e-keit.[1] Later this phenomenon spread to other suffixes, and even to Central German dialects, in which the equivalents of -ig had never been pronounced with a final [k]-sound. (Compare the modern standard pronunciation of -ig [-ɪç].) However, in some northern dialects of Central German, like Ripuarian, -keit is still absent or has only recently been introduced from standard German. Compare Saterland Frisian -igaid.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /kaɪ̯t/, [kaɪ̯t]
  • Audio(file)

Suffix

-keit f (genitive -keit, plural -keiten)

  1. Alternative form of -heit
    ‎wirksam (“effective”) + ‎-keit → ‎Wirksamkeit (“effectiveness”)

Usage notes
  • See -heit for notes on the use of the two variants.

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

Derived terms
German terms suffixed with -keit

References
  1. Friedrich Kluge (1989) “-heit”, in Elmar Seebold, editor, Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache [Etymological Dictionary of the German Language] (in German), 22nd edition, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN
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