Pfiff

See also: pfiff

German

Etymology

See the verb pfeifen (“to whistle”)

Pronunciation

• (standard) IPA^(key): /pfɪf/
• (most speakers in northern and central Germany) IPA^(key): /fɪf/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪf

Noun

Pfiff m (strong, genitive Pfiffes or Pfiffs, plural Pfiffe, diminutive Pfiffchen n)

1. a whistle sound
2. (informal) particular appeal by some form of artifice
3. (Bavaria, Austria) a regionally varying liquid measure and form of glass for beer, smaller than the usual measure served

Declension

Declension of Pfiff [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Pfiff	die	Pfiffe
genitive	eines	des	Pfiffes, Pfiffs	der	Pfiffe
dative	einem	dem	Pfiff, Pfiffe1	den	Pfiffen
accusative	einen	den	Pfiff	die	Pfiffe

¹Now rare, see notes.

Related terms

• pfeifen
• pfiffig
• Anpfiff
• Abpfiff

Further reading

• “Pfiff” in Duden online
• “Pfiff” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “Pfiff” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Pfiff” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.