Ferkel

Meaning

1. (neuter, strong) piglet; a young/immature pig
2. (derogatory, neuter, strong) a dirty or contemptible person

Concepts

piglet

pig

🐖

shoat

sucking-pig

piglets

little pig

piglings

porkers

porklings

jack

sucking pigs

piggy

sucking pig

young pig

young pigs

Synonyms

Schweinchen

Frischling

Dreckschwein

Wutz

Schmutzfink

Dreckspatz

Schwein

Saubartel

ferkeln

Frischlinge

Schmierfink

Spanferkel

Schweinigel

Saugferkel

Schweins…

junges Schwein

Translations

big

lechón

cochonnet

porcelet

goret

maialino

cochinillo

leitão

porcellino

domuz yavrusu

porcula

porcella

porquinho

Dialects

Basel-Landschaft

seili

Data provided by: Deutsch-Schweizerdeutsches Wörterbuch

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈfɛrkəl/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle High German: verhelīn

Inherited from Old High German: farhilī

Cognate with Old Dutch: farkīn

Cognate with Dutch: varken

In summary

From Middle High German verhelīn, from Old High German farhilī, farhilīn, diminutive of farah (“pig”), from Proto-Germanic *farhaz (whence English farrow), from Proto-Indo-European *pórḱos.
The -k- has been explained as an irregular fortition of -h-, which would be plausible if the form were of Upper German origin, where -h- was strong and where there was dialectal variation between -rch- and -rk-. However, Middle High German verkelen is first found in West Central German along the Rhine, where stem-internal -h- had been lost early on (compare accordingly Middle High German verlīn). It therefore seems at least equally probable that the -k- is due to influence by a related Rhenish word for “pig, piglet”, still found today in Ripuarian Ferke, which goes back to a Frankish *far(i)kīn (compare Old Dutch farkīn, ferkīn, whence modern Dutch varken), from Proto-Germanic *farhikīną, another diminutive of *farhaz.