Hahnrei

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle Low German hanenrey. The word is also attested in Middle High German [Term?], but it was rare and the later spread was without doubt based on Low German. The original sense seems to have been “capon”, that is a castrated cock. Further etymology unsettled.

Cognate with Swedish hanrej.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhaːnʁaɪ̯/

• Audio (Austria):

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• Audio:

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Noun

Hahnrei m (strong, genitive Hahnreis, plural Hahnreie)

1. (dated or humorous) cuckold (man with an unfaithful wife)

Declension

Declension of Hahnrei [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Hahnrei	die	Hahnreie
genitive	eines	des	Hahnreis	der	Hahnreie
dative	einem	dem	Hahnrei	den	Hahnreien
accusative	einen	den	Hahnrei	die	Hahnreie

Further reading

• “Hahnrei” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Hahnrei” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.
• “Hahnrei” in Duden online