Backe

See also: backe

English

Proper noun

Backe

1. A surname.
2. A hamlet in St Clears community, Carmarthenshire, Wales (OS grid ref SN2515).
3. A community in Jämtland, Sweden.

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbakə/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Ba‧cke; before 1996: Bak‧ke

Etymology 1

From Middle High German backe, from Old High German backo. Further origin uncertain; note, however, the similarity to Ancient Greek φᾰγεῖν (phăgeîn, “eat”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂g- (“to divide, distribute”) (though the same non-trivial semantic shift occurring in two independent branches is unlikely), as well as Latin bucca.

Noun

Backe f (genitive Backe, plural Backen, diminutive Bäckchen n)

1. cheek (on the face)

   Synonym: Wange

2. jaw (of a tool)

Usage notes

• In most regions, Backe is the normal word for “cheek” while Wange is formal or literary.

Declension

Declension of Backe [feminine]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Backe	die	Backen
genitive	einer	der	Backe	der	Backen
dative	einer	der	Backe	den	Backen
accusative	eine	die	Backe	die	Backen

Derived terms

• die Backen vollnehmen (“to talk big”)
• Backpfeife (“slap on the cheek”)

Related terms

• Backenbart
• Backenbremse
• backenig
• Backenknochen
• Backenstreich
• Backenzahn

Etymology 2

From Early New High German backe, possibly related to Etymology 1. However, perhaps more likely related to Proto-West Germanic *bak (“back (of the body)”), Bache, and Bank, and converged onto the same spelling and pronunciation as that of Etymology 1.

Noun

Backe f (genitive Backe, plural Backen, diminutive Bäckchen n)

1. buttock, butt cheek

Declension

Declension of Backe [feminine]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Backe	die	Backen
genitive	einer	der	Backe	der	Backen
dative	einer	der	Backe	den	Backen
accusative	eine	die	Backe	die	Backen

Derived terms

• Dumpfbacke
• Fettbacke
• Schweinebacke
• Schweinsbacke

Further reading

• “Backe” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Backe (Schinken, Speckseite)” in Duden online
• “Backe (Wange, Seitenteil)” in Duden online
• Friedrich Kluge (1883) “Backe”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891