Erbfeind

German

FWOTD – 26 September 2017

Etymology

From Middle High German erbevīnt (“the Devil as the hereditary enemy of mankind”). Equivalent to Erbe (“inheritance, heritage”) +‎ Feind (“enemy”).

Since the 15th century used of the Turks (seen as infidel and followers of the Devil). Then generalised to any long-standing enmity without religious context. The new narrowing to the French is an influence of 19th-century nationalism, which resented France for the Napeolonic invasions and for its general opposition to German national unity. This narrowing was never absolute, however, and the word continued to be used in other contexts.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈɛrpˌfaɪ̯nt/
Audio: (file)

Noun

Erbfeind m (strong, genitive Erbfeindes or Erbfeinds, plural Erbfeinde, feminine Erbfeindin)

A historical enemy, hereditary (inherited) or sworn enemy believed to be hostile for generations (male or of unspecified gender)
- Jakob Kubli, "Marke zeigt vereinigtes Korea", Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 1 February 2016.
  Im Disput zwischen Südkorea und Japan hat sich Nordkorea mit seinem Erbfeind Südkorea stets solidarisch erklärt.
  In the dispute between South Korea and Japan, North Korea declared solidarity with its historical enemy South Korea every time.
(dated) the Devil
Synonyms: Teufel, Satan, Luzifer, Höllenfürst

Usage notes

In German historic consciousness the term is mostly associated with the French, and by extension the Romans, as supposed hereditary enemies of the Germans/Germanics. This notion was in vogue during the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.

Declension

Declension of Erbfeind [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Erbfeind	die	Erbfeinde
genitive	eines	des	Erbfeindes, Erbfeinds	der	Erbfeinde
dative	einem	dem	Erbfeind, Erbfeinde¹	den	Erbfeinden
accusative	einen	den	Erbfeind	die	Erbfeinde

¹Now rare, see notes.

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

→ Dutch: erfvijand