Selfkant

German

Etymology

From local Low Franconian dialects. The second part is equivalent to German Kante (“side, edge”). The first part is from a metathesis of Saeffel, as in the hydronym Saeffeler Bach. This is possibly derived from Latin sabulum (“coarse sand”). Compare Limburgish Selfkantj, Dutch Zelfkant.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈzɛlfˌkant/

Proper noun

der Selfkant m (proper noun, strong, usually definite, definite genitive des Selfkant or des Selfkants) or
Selfkant n (proper noun, genitive Selfkants or (optionally with an article) Selfkant)

1. Selfkant (a rural area and municipality in the Lower Rhine region, North Rhine-Westphalia, comprising the westernmost point of Germany)

   Der Selfkant wurde 1949 niederländisch besetzt und 1963 von Adenauer zurückgekauft.

   Selfkant was occupied by the Dutch in 1949 and bought back by Adenauer in 1963.

Usage notes

• Generally used with the article (der Selfkant). Non-local speakers may sometimes misconstrue it as feminine (die Selfkant) after the gender of Kante; compare Waterkant f. Only when referring specifically to the modern municipality may it be treated as a normal toponym (without the article, e.g. der Bürgermeister von Selfkant), but this is less common.