Tatzelwurm

English

Etymology

Borrowed from German Tatzelwurm.

Noun

Tatzelwurm (plural Tatzelwurms)

1. (cryptozoology) A worm-like cryptid reported to live in the Alps.
   • 2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage, published 2007, page 736:

     Men had been known to quit work here, claiming that the Tatzelwurms were becoming enraged by all the drilling and explosions.

German

Etymology

From Tatze (“paw, claw”) +‎ Wurm (“worm”).

Pronunciation

• Audio

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Noun

Tatzelwurm m (strong, genitive Tatzelwurmes or Tatzelwurms, plural Tatzelwürmer)

1. (cryptozoology) Tatzelwurm

Declension

Declension of Tatzelwurm [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Tatzelwurm	die	Tatzelwürmer
genitive	eines	des	Tatzelwurmes, Tatzelwurms	der	Tatzelwürmer
dative	einem	dem	Tatzelwurm, Tatzelwurme1	den	Tatzelwürmern
accusative	einen	den	Tatzelwurm	die	Tatzelwürmer

¹Now rare, see notes.

Related terms

• Lindwurm m

Further reading

• “Tatzelwurm” in Duden online