Kopf

Alternative forms

• Kopp (colloquial; northern and central Germany)

Etymology

From Middle High German kopf (“drinking vessel”), probably from Late Latin cuppa, probably a form of Latin cūpa (“tub”) from Proto-Indo-European *keup- (“a hollow”). Cognate with English cup. Compare English noggin, and mug. French tête. Alternatively it is derived from Proto-Germanic *kuppaz (“vault, round vessel, head”), whilst influenced by the aforesaid Latin word, and if so then related to obsolete English cop (“the crown (of the head); the head”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔpf/, [kɔp͡f], [kɔp͡ɸ]

• audio (Standard German)

  (file)

Noun

Kopf m (genitive Kopfes or Kopfs, plural Köpfe)

1. (anatomy) head

   Er fiel die Treppe hinunter, als sie ihm ein Buch an den Kopf warf.

   He fell down the stairs when she threw a book at his head.

2. crown, top
3. heading, title
4. person; individual; fellow (referring to one's intellect or mentality)

   Er ist ein heller Kopf.

   He's a bright fellow.

   (literally, “He is a bright head.”)

5. (linguistics) head
6. (numismatics) heads (side of a coin)

Further reading

• Kopf in Duden online