Ähre

See also: ahre, and Ahre

German

Getreideähren — corn ears (from left to right: barley, wheat, rye) (1)

Die Ähre eines Grashalmes. — The head of a grass stalk. (2)

Alternative forms

• Äher n, Eher n, Ehre f (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle High German eher, äher n, from Old High German ehir, ahir, ahar n, from Proto-Germanic *ahaz n. The form with Ä- is Upper German, where -h- led to an open vowel through secondary (rather than primary) umlaut. The feminine form, in turn, is a chiefly Central German backformation from plural use.

Cognate with Dutch aar, West Frisian ier, English ear. Ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp, pointed”), whence also Ecke. Related with Latin aciēs, acus, Ancient Greek ἄκρος (ákros), Russian острый (ostryj).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛːrə/, [ˈʔɛː.ʁə], [ˈʔeː.ʁə]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛːʀə
• Homophone: Ehre (many speakers, especially northern and eastern regions)

Noun

Ähre f (genitive Ähre, plural Ähren, diminutive Ährchen n)

1. (botany, countable) the ear (of corn)

   Synonym: Getreideähre

2. (botany, countable) the head, ear (of grass seed)

   Synonym: Grasähre

3. (botany, countable) the spike (of a flower)

   Synonym: Blütenähre

Declension

Declension of Ähre [feminine]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Ähre	die	Ähren
genitive	einer	der	Ähre	der	Ähren
dative	einer	der	Ähre	den	Ähren
accusative	eine	die	Ähre	die	Ähren

Hypernyms

• Pflanze f
• Getreide n

Hyponyms

• Korn n

Derived terms

• Ährenfeld n
• Ährenkranz m
• Ährenspindel f
• Scheinähre f
• Zahl oder Ähre

 

Further reading

• “Ähre” in Duden online
• “Ähre” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache