[Rockhounds] von Rath-Von vs Vom OT

[DonH]

Mr EMan wrote:

> A bit OT but what is the distinction between the German "VoN"  and "VoM"
> This made a world of difference in searching.

"Von" means "of," and when preceding a name, is an honorific term. 
"Vom" is a contraction of "von dem," which means "of the" in the 
masculine (and possibly neuter) gender of the dative case.

I'm not aware of "vom" being used in the honorific sense, but this may 
be an archaic use, or else it's been far too long since I minored in 
German...


best,
Don