Gardemaß
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German[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Garde (“guard”) + Maß (“measure, size”).
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio: (file)
Noun[edit]
Gardemaß n (strong, genitive Gardemaßes, plural Gardemaße)
- (military, historical) the minimum height required for service in an elite “guard” regiment
- (by extension, informal) a required or preferred height in any context, tallness as such
Usage notes[edit]
- The Prussian Gardemaß is often claimed to have been 188 cm, but this applied only to the so-called Lange Kerls (“long fellows”), a particular representative regiment at Potsdam (dissolved in 1806). The general Gardemaß appears to have varied between 170 and 180 cm.