Etymology

From Middle High German pfaht, from Latin pactum ‎(“pact”). The unshifted onset p-, the feminine gender, and the contemporary plural form in -en are northern influences from German Low German and/or West Central German. In Grimm's German dictionary, the word is still treated as a masculine noun with plural Pächte; this is now obsolete.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /paxt/, [paχt]