Fahne

Etymology

From Middle High German van(e) m, from Old High German fano, from Proto-West Germanic *fanō, from Proto-Germanic *fanô (“cloth, flag”), from Proto-Indo-European *pān- (“fabric”).

The shift to the feminine gender began in cognate Middle Low German vāne and, through Central German, established itself in the written language by the end of the 17th century.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈfaːnə/
Audio (Germany): (file)
Audio (Austria): (file)
Hyphenation: Fah‧ne
Homophone: Farne (some speakers)

Noun

Fahne f (genitive Fahne, plural Fahnen, diminutive Fähnchen n or Fähnlein n)

flag, banner (any cloth or fabric used as a symbol)
Synonyms: Flagge, Banner, Standarte
- “Ich trage eine Fahne [I Carry a Flag]”, Helmut Hauptmann (lyrics), Eberhard Schmidt (music)‎performed by Musikkorps des Wachregiments Berlin [The Berlin guard regiment's music corps]:
  Ich trage eine Fahne,
  Und diese Fahne ist rot.
  Es ist die Arbeiterfahne,
  Die uns die Einheit gebot.
  I carry a flag,
  And this flag is red.
  It is the workers' flag,
  That commanded us unity.
(figurative) idea, ideal
Synonyms: Idee, Prinzip, Motto
(colloquial) the noticeable smell of alcohol on one's breath
Synonyms: Alkoholfahne, Alkoholgeruch
(printing) galley proof
Synonym: Druckfahne
(ornithology) vane (flattened, web-like part of a feather)
Synonyms: Federfahne, Vexillum

Usage notes

Flags of nations or ships are more commonly called Flagge, but Fahne (being the more general term) is also possible.

Declension

Declension of Fahne [feminine]

More information singular, plural ...

Derived terms

Blutfahne
die Fahne einholen
die Fahnen streichen
Drachenfahne
Eckfahne
Fahnenappell
Fahneneid
Fahnenflucht
fahnenflüchtig
Fahnenflüchtige
Fahnenjunker
Fahnenmast
Fahnenschwingen
Fahnenschwinger
Fahnenstange
Fahnenträger
Fahnentuch
Fahnenweihe
Fähnrich
Gebetsfahne
Geruchsfahne
mit wehenden Fahnen
Rauchfahne
sich auf die Fahne schreiben
weiße Fahne
Wetterfahne

Descendants

→ Silesian: fana