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Pfa
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Pfe

which is similar in sound and is assumed by the derivative Pferch; the idea associated with Pfarre in historic times originated, of course, in parochia, παροικία. —

Pfarrer, m., ‘clergyman, minister,’ MidHG. pfarrœre, OHG. pfarrâri, a G. derivative of pfarra. Note that the word is not based on MidLat. parochus (Ital. parroco), ‘priest.’ There also exists a later variant, Pfarr, MidHG. pfarre, m.; hence the derivative Pfarrei (Suab. and Bav.).

Pfau, m., from the equiv. MidHG. pfâwe, OHG. pfâwo, m., ‘peacock’; the OHG. form, with its permutated initial sound and its preservation of the v as w (see Käfig, Pferd), points to a very early loan-word from Lat. pâvo (whence also Fr. paon, Ital. pavone). With regard to the form of the word, it may be remarked that while other loan-words from Lat. are based on the oblique case (see Kreuz), in this instance the G. word is classified under the n- declension, to which Lat. pâvo (acc. pâvôn-em) also belongs. The peacock (comp. mausern and Käfig) may have been known in Germany about the 7th or 6th cent., or even earlier. Comp. Du. paauw, AS. pâwa and peá, E. peacock, which were borrowed contemporaneously from the same source; OSlov. pavŭ is also allied.

Pfebe, f., from the equiv. MidHG. pfëben, OHG. *pfëban, *pfëbano, m., ‘pumpkin,’ formed from Lat. pepon (Gr. πέπων), ‘pumpkin.’ MidHG. pfëdem, ‘pumpkin,’ and OHG. pfëdemo, are peculiar; besides these, OHG. pëpano, bëbano, and MidHG. bëben also occur without permutation. Comp. bidmen.

Pfeffer, m., from the equiv. MidHG. pfëffer, OHG. pfëffar, m., ‘pepper’; borrowed, as the unvarying permutation indicates, prior to the OHG. period from Lat. piper (whence Fr. poivre, Ital. pepe), which assumption is supported by Du. peper, AS. pipor, E. pepper, Ic. piparr (note in the non-Teut. languages OSlov. pĭprŭ). The early adoption of the Lat. word in Teut. is confirmed by history. In 410 A.D. Alaric, before Rome, granted a truce, for which the city was obliged to supply, among other things, 3000 lbs. of pepper. —

Pfeffermünz, n., ‘peppermint,’ is connected with Minze, or rather its OHG. variant munza. See Minze.

Pfeife, f., from the equiv. MidHG. pfîfe, OHG. pfîfa, f., ‘pipe’; borrowed prior to the OHG. period from MidLat.

pîpa (allied to Lat. pîpare, ‘to pip, chirp’); hence also Du. pijp, AS. pîpe, f., E. pipe, OIc. pípa; so too the Rom. cognates, Ital. piva, Fr. pipe. —

pfeifen, ‘to pipe,’ from MidHG. pfîfen, from Lat. pipare, from which we should have expected an OHG. wk. vb. *pfîfôn.

Pfeil, m., from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. pfîl, m., ‘arrow, dart’; corresponding to MidLG. pîl, Du. pijl, AS. pîl, E. pile, Scand. píla, ‘arrow.’ Borrowed at an early period from Lat. pîlum, n., ‘heavy javelin,’ with a change of gender and meaning. The OTeut. word for arrow, Goth. arhwazna, OIc. ǫr, AS. earh (etymologically the same as Lat. arcus, ‘bow’), disappeared on the introduction of the word.

Pfeiler, m., from the equiv. MidHG. pfîlœre, OHG. pfîlâri, m., ‘pillar’; borrowed prior to the OHG. period from MidLat. pîlâre, pîlarius (Lat. pîla), ‘pillar,’ whence also Du. pijlaar. Comp. Ital. piliere, Fr. pilier, E. pillar (to which E. and Fr. pile, formed from Lat. pîla, is allied).

Pfennig, m., ‘a coin, one-tenth of a penny,’ from MidHG. pfęnnic, pfęnninc (gen. -ges), OHG. pfęnning, m., ‘denarius, a silver coin, a twelfth of a shilling.’ Its form and origin are difficult to determine. It may be derived from Pfanne, and thus its name may be due to its shape (perhaps ‘pan-shaped’ or ‘made in the pan’). A variant with nd, from the connection of the word with Pfand, is seen in OHG. pfęnting and AS. pęnding (variants of the more usual pęnning, pęnnig, whence E. penny). With regard to the diffusion of the word, comp. further OSax. pending, Du. penning, OIc. penningr; in Goth. a presumptive form *panniggs or *pandiggs is wanting. The suffix -ing frequently occurs in names of coins in the earlier periods; comp. Schilling, Silberling, OHG. cheisuring, ‘imperial gold coin,’ E. farthing, from AS. feórþing, ‘quadrans.’ From the Teut. cognates are derived OSlov. pěnęgŭ, pěnędžĭ, ‘coin, money.’

Pferch, m., ‘fold, pen,’ from MidHG. pfęrrich, OHG. pfęrrih, pfarrih (hh), m., ‘fence, enclosure, espec. for sheep’; corresponding to AS. pearroc, m., ‘enclosure, park,’ Du. perk, ‘enclosed space.’ If the words with initial p in LG. and initial pf in HG. are of foreign origin, the term on which they are based must have been introduced, on account of the correspondence