Dutch

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Etymology

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From Yiddish [Term?], from the Hebrew letters Hebrew קוּ״ף (kuf) and נוּ״ן representing the phrase kost niets (costs nothing) (or its Yiddish equivalent). By surface analysis, koef (qoph) +‎ noen (nun).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /kufˈnun/
  • Audio:(file)

Adjective

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koefnoen (not comparable)

  1. (dated, colloquial) free of charge
    Synonyms: gratis, kostenloos
    De bos bloemen kwam koefnoen met de aankoop.The bouquet of flowers came free of charge with the purchase.
    Je moet wel dokken, van mij krijg je niets voor koefnoen.You do have to pay, from me you'll get nothing free of charge.

Noun

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koefnoen c (plural koefnoens, diminutive koefnoentje n)

  1. (dated, colloquial) something that is free of charge

Usage notes

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  • Particularly used of tickets (such as those for sports events).

Further reading

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