-keit

Bedeutung (English)

Alternative form of -heit

Synonyms

-heit

-nis

-schaft

-tät

-

-ität

Ausgesprochen als (IPA)

/kaɪ̯t/

Etymology (English)

Cognate with Saterfriesisch: -igaid

In summary

Result of an etymologically wrong segmentation (rebracketing) of two suffixes in Upper German dialects of Middle High German: -ec (modern -ig) and -heit: -ec-heit was interpreted as -e-keit. Later this phenomenon spread to other suffixes, and even to Central German dialects, in which the equivalents of -ig had never been pronounced with a final [k]-sound. (Compare the modern standard pronunciation of -ig [-ɪç].) However, in some northern dialects of Central German, like Ripuarian, -keit is still absent or has only recently been introduced from standard German. Compare Saterland Frisian -igaid.