Feste

See also: feste, and festë

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɛstə/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Fes‧te
• Homophone: feste

Etymology 1

From Middle High German veste, from Old High German festī. Equivalent to fest (“fast, secure”) +‎ -e (“-th, -ness”), compare similar English fastness.

Noun

Feste f (genitive Feste, plural Festen)

1. (historical) stronghold, fortress, fortified castle

   Synonyms: Burg, Festung

2. (figurative, chiefly in the plural) foundation, stronghold

   Das organisierte Verbrechen bedroht den Rechtsstaat bis in die Festen.

   Organised crime is a threat to the very foundations of the rule of law.

3. (figurative, archaic, poetic) firmament (the sky conceived as a dome)

   Synonyms: Firmament, Himmelsgewölbe, Himmelszelt

Declension

Declension of Feste [feminine]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Feste	die	Festen
genitive	einer	der	Feste	der	Festen
dative	einer	der	Feste	den	Festen
accusative	eine	die	Feste	die	Festen

Alternative forms

• Veste (now only in the literal sense)

Etymology 2

Noun

Feste

1. nominative/accusative/genitive plural of Fest

Further reading

• “Feste” in Duden online

Hunsrik

Noun

Feste

1. plural of Fest