Kauz

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German

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Etymology

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From Middle High German kūz, kūze, from Old High German *kūz, from Proto-Germanic *kūts (bird of prey), from Proto-Indo-European *gū- (to cry, screech). Cognate with Old English cȳta (kite, bittern). See kite.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /kaʊ̯t͡s/
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

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Kauz m (strong, genitive Kauzes, plural Käuze)

  1. owl; (specifically) strigid
  2. (figurative) crank, odd fellow, codger
    • 1903, Thomas Mann, Tristan[1]; republished as Helen Tracy Lowe-Porter, transl., Stories of Three Decades, 1922, page 144:
      Ein Kauz, ein ganz wunderlicher Kauz! Herrn Klöterjahns Gattin dachte zuweilen nach über ihn, denn sie hatte sehr viel Zeit zum Nachdenken.
      An odd sort, a very odd sort. Herr Klöterjahn's wife thought about him sometimes; for she had much leisure for thought.

Declension

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Derived terms

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See also

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Further reading

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  • Kauz” in Duden online
  • Kauz” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache