Eifer

Meaning

zeal, eagerness, alacrity

Gender

♂️ Masculine

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈaɪ̯fər/

Etymology

From Middle High German *īver (“jealousy”). The simplex is first attested in 1494 as yfer, but in 1349 the derivative eifrær (in a southern text that already reflects diphthongisation, thus equivalent to a classical *īverære). An Upper German dialect word, which was chosen by Luther to express the idea of Ancient Greek ζῆλος (zêlos). From the German then Dutch ijver, Middle Low German īver, and further Danish iver etc.
Further origin unknown. Perhaps an ablaut variant of Old High German eibar, eivar (“sharp, bitter”), from Proto-Germanic *aibraz, whence also Old English āfor.

Sentences

Bei all dem Eifer sollte man trotzdem nicht Kopf und Kragen riskieren .

With all this zeal, you still shouldn't risk your head and neck.