Bock

See also: bock, bȯck, and воск

English

Proper noun

Bock (plural Bocks)

1. A surname.
2. A city in Minnesota.

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German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [bɔk]

• Audio (Berlin):

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Middle High German boc, poc, from Old High German boc, from Proto-West Germanic *bukk. Cognate to English buck, Dutch bok, Norwegian bukk, Swedish bock, Danish buk.

Noun

Bock m (strong, genitive Bockes or Bocks, plural Böcke, diminutive Böckchen n or Böcklein n)

1. buck, ram; the male of certain animals, especially goat, sheep, and roedeer

   Hyponyms: Ziegenbock / Geißbock, Schafbock, Rehbock

2. (also sturer Bock) a stubborn person

   Synonyms: Sturbock, Sturkopf

3. (also geiler Bock) a man who is lecherous or sexually active

   geil wie ein Bock ― horny as a buck

4. (informal) a blunder, mistake
5. (vehicles) a seat for a coachman
6. (gymnastics) an apparatus for performing jumps, similar to a vaulting horse but shorter.

Declension

Declension of Bock [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Bock	die	Böcke
genitive	eines	des	Bockes, Bocks	der	Böcke
dative	einem	dem	Bock, Bocke1	den	Böcken
accusative	einen	den	Bock	die	Böcke

¹Now rare, see notes.

Derived terms

• Steinbock m (“ibex”)
• Sündenbock m (“scapegoat”)

See also

• Geiß f
• Ziege f

Etymology 2

From a southern German alteration of Einbeck, a brewery town in Lower Saxony, where the beer originally hails from. The Low German placename suffix -beck (“-brook”) was reinterpreted in southern dialects as the plural of Bock (etymology 1 above). Compare a fuller form still in Bavarian Oambock, Ambock.

Noun

Bock n (strong, genitive Bocks, plural Bock)

1. bock beer

Declension

Declension of Bock [neuter, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	das	Bock	die	Bock
genitive	eines	des	Bocks	der	Bock
dative	einem	dem	Bock	den	Bock
accusative	ein	das	Bock	die	Bock

Derived terms

• Bockbier
• Maibock

Etymology 3

Since the second half of the 20th century and originally belonging to the Rotwelsch cant. Borrowed from Romani bokh (“hunger”), from Sanskrit बुभुक्षा (bubhukṣā). Reinforced and perhaps semantically influenced by Bock (etymology 1) in its sexual sense.

Noun

Bock m (strong, genitive Bock, plural Böcke)

1. (Rotwelsch) hunger
2. (colloquial) desire, interest to do something; construed with haben, kriegen, or machen + auf

   Synonym: Lust

   • 2013, Marteria, "Kids (2 Finger an den Kopf)".

     Keiner hat mehr Bock auf Kiffen, Saufen, Feiern.

     Nobody feels like blazing, boozing, partying anymore.

   • 1992, Erwin Leibfried, Die Forderung des Tages: ziemlich unsortierte Notizen zum Entwurf einer Denkschrift über angewandte Geisteswissenschaften‎^[1], Litblockin-Verlag:

     »Warum geht die Ziege nicht zum Tanzen? Weil sie keinen Bock hat!«

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   Hast du Bock? ― Do you feel like it?

   Ich kriege langsam Bock auf Tanzen. ― I’m starting to feel like dancing.

   Das macht Bock auf mehr. ― This makes you want more.

3. (colloquial) fun, pleasure; construed with machen without auf

   Synonym: Spaß

   Macht’s Bock? ― Is it fun?

Declension

Declension of Bock [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Bock	die	Böcke
genitive	eines	des	Bock	der	Böcke
dative	einem	dem	Bock	den	Böcken
accusative	einen	den	Bock	die	Böcke

Usage notes

• The plural is rare but is sometimes used in a jocularly fashion with no change in meaning: Hast du Böcke?

Further reading

• “Bock” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

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Luxembourgish

Etymology

From Middle High German buc, from Old High German buc, alternative form of boc (which would have yielded Luxembourgish *Back), from Proto-West Germanic *bukk, from Proto-Germanic *bukkaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bok/

Noun

Bock m (plural Béck)

1. buck
2. trestle, support
3. box (driver's seat on a coach)