Wendehals
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German
[edit]
Etymology
[edit]wenden (“turn around”) + Hals (“neck”)
Pronunciation
[edit]Audio: (file)
Noun
[edit]Wendehals m (strong, genitive Wendehalses, plural Wendehälse)
- The Eurasian wryneck (Jynx torquilla).
- An opportunist, a person with no principles.
- (politics) A political opportunist after a regime change, particularly a communist in East Germany who switched to supporting capitalism after German reunification.
Declension
[edit]Declension of Wendehals [masculine, strong]
| singular | plural | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| indef. | def. | noun | def. | noun | |
| nominative | ein | der | Wendehals | die | Wendehälse |
| genitive | eines | des | Wendehalses | der | Wendehälse |
| dative | einem | dem | Wendehals, Wendehalse1 | den | Wendehälsen |
| accusative | einen | den | Wendehals | die | Wendehälse |
1Now rare, see notes.
Derived terms
[edit]- Rotkehl-Wendehals (“red-throated wryneck”)
Descendants
[edit]- Russian: вертише́йка (vertišéjka) (calque)
Further reading
[edit]- “Wendehals” in Duden online