Zofe

German

Alternative forms
  • Zaufe, Zoffe, Zohfe, Zoofe, Zove (obsolete)

Etymology

17th century, from East Central German dialects. Earlier already Zoffmagd (16th c.). Pertaining to a group of (probably interrelated) verbs zoffen, zaffen (“to hesitate”), zaufen (“to step back, walk behind”), Middle High German zāven (“to pull, rear, groom”). Which form exactly underlies seems uncertain; Middle High German -o-, -ou-, -ā- could all have become [oː] in the dialects in question. The further origin is entirely unknown.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈt͡soːfə/
  • Audio(file)
  • Hyphenation: Zo‧fe

Noun

Zofe f (genitive Zofe, plural Zofen, diminutive Zöfchen n)

  1. (historical) lady's maid (personal handmaid of a noblewoman)
    Synonym: Kammerjungfer

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

Hypernyms

Further reading
  • “Zofe” in Duden online
  • “Zofe” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.