Kneipe

German

Etymology

From kneipen, a dated variant of kneifen (“to pinch, to squeeze”), from Middle Low German. The noun spread from student slang of Upper Saxony in the later 18th century, possibly picked up from thieves’ cant, and is based on the idea of a crowded pub where people, as it were, squeeze and poke each other. Kneipe became the most common word for “pub” during the 20th century; classical occurences are rare and the literature often substitutes compounds like Kneipschenke because the word was low and not widely known yet.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈknaɪ̯pə/
  • Audio(file)

Noun

Kneipe f (genitive Kneipe, plural Kneipen)

  1. (obsolete) a student’s cramped dwelling
  2. pub, bar
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:Kneipe

Usage notes

The term Kneipe typically refers to a pub that does not serve hot food, which is the predominant rule for pubs in German-speaking Europe. Pubs that do serve hot food are more likely to be referred to as Wirtschaft or Lokal, although they may also be called Kneipe.

Declension
Declension of Kneipe
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative eine die Kneipe die Kneipen
genitive einer der Kneipe der Kneipen
dative einer der Kneipe den Kneipen
accusative eine die Kneipe die Kneipen

Derived terms

Descendants

Further reading
  • Kluge, Friedrich (1902), “Kneipe”, in Zeitschrift für deutsche Sprache, volume 3, Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner, pages 114–121
  • “Kneipe” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • Kneipe in Duden online
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