What is "early new high german"

n. The form of the German language spoken from 1350 to 1650 CE, successor to Middle High German.

Early New High German (ENHG) is a term for the period in the history of the German language, generally defined, following Wilhelm Scherer, as the period 1350 to 1650. Alternative periodisations take the period to begin later, e.g., at the invention of printing with moveable type in the 1450s.

The term is the standard translation of the German Frühneuhochdeutsch (Fnhd.), introduced by Scherer. The term Early Modern High German is also occasionally used for this period (but the abbreviation EMHG is generally used for Early Middle High German).