Fahne

German

Die deutsche Fahne vor dem Reichstag in Berlin.
The German flag in front of the Reichstag in Berlin.

Etymology

From Middle High German van(e) m, from Old High German fano, from Proto-West Germanic *fanō, from Proto-Germanic *fanô (“cloth, flag”), from Proto-Indo-European *pān- (“fabric”).

The shift to the feminine gender began in cognate Middle Low German vāne and, through Central German, established itself in the written language by the end of the 17th century.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈfaːnə/
Audio (Berlin): (file)
Audio (Austria): (file)
Hyphenation: Fah‧ne
Homophone: Farne (some speakers)

Noun

Fahne f (genitive Fahne, plural Fahnen, diminutive Fähnchen n or Fähnlein n)

flag, banner (any cloth or fabric used as a symbol)
Synonyms: Flagge, Banner, Standarte
(figurative) idea, ideal
Synonyms: Idee, Prinzip, Motto
(colloquial) the noticeable smell of alcohol on one's breath
Synonyms: Alkoholfahne, Alkoholgeruch
(printing) galley proof
Synonym: Druckfahne
(ornithology) vane (flattened, web-like part of a feather)
Synonyms: Federfahne, Vexillum

Usage notes

Flags of nations or ships are more commonly called Flagge, but Fahne (being the more general term) is also possible.

Declension

Declension of Fahne [feminine]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Fahne	die	Fahnen
genitive	einer	der	Fahne	der	Fahnen
dative	einer	der	Fahne	den	Fahnen
accusative	eine	die	Fahne	die	Fahnen

Derived terms

Descendants

→ Silesian: fana