411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
Siepen
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
German
de:+
Alternative forms
de Seifen Siefen
Etymology
From de gml sîpe, from the verb gml sîpen to trickle. Cognate with gmh sīfe, whence the alternative forms, and further with nl zijp canal, sewer.
Pronunciation
de /ˈziːpən/
Noun
m:n
de regional chiefly in toponyms a swampy gorge, a brook in a valley
Usage notes
In official toponyms the regional distribution of the forms is roughly as follows:
de Siepen in Low German and Low Franconian areas, chiefly the Bergisches Land and Sauerland.
de Siefen in the Central German parts of North Rhine-Westphalia (except Siegerland).
de Seifen in other Central German areas.
Appellative use outside of purely local contexts is rare in Standard German, but it appears that the proper form de Seifen is actually the least favoured, without doubt because of its homonymy with de Seifen soaps. German wikipedia uses de Siepen as lemma, which we follow here.
Declension
m:n